


Beautiful Here

by lovesheavyburden



Series: Beautiful Here [1]
Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-17
Updated: 2014-05-17
Packaged: 2018-01-25 09:56:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 37,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1644605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovesheavyburden/pseuds/lovesheavyburden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl and Beth escape the funeral home together, but that doesn't make their love story an easy one. Their first goal is finding safety, their second is to reunite with their family. Love is the last thing on their mind, but that doesn't mean love won't find them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beautiful Here

**Chapter 1: Beautiful Here**

* * *

 

Oh beautiful smiles, won't you stay awhile  
We could close the door and sleep all day  
It's a September sky with pretty pictures in my mind  
That's lost its feeling of so afraid

Everything is beautiful here  
It's spinning circles around my ears  
I'm finally breaking free from fear  
And it's fading on

-Neutral Milk Hotel, Everything Is

* * *

 

"Well, what changed your mind?" Beth asked with a bright grin on her face.

Daryl shrugged, and looked away from her. "You know."

"What," she teased as Daryl took a bite of grape jelly.

The spoonful of jelly stuck in his throat as he turned to look at the beautiful, young woman next to him. He had a hard time swallowing. His stomach bottomed out as he thought of what he should tell her. How could he tell her that the smallest moments with her are what changed his mind about the goodness of people surviving. When she found something beautiful, he found it beautiful as well. When she held his hand, he wanted to hold on for eternity. With a breath, he turned away and shrugged again. "Iunno."

"Don't 'iunno'," Beth imitated him with a smile; he knew she wasn't being mean. "What changed your mind?"

Without a word, Daryl looked her in the eye and continued to stare. Two blinks and her smile began to fade; three, four and she realized. His stare was intense, and full of meaning. She had learned to read him rather well in the short amount of time that they had been traveling together, and this was a look she had never seen from him before. She knew angry Daryl, and drunk Daryl. She knew relaxed Daryl, and upset Daryl. She also knew Daryl when he was scared, and Daryl when he was in control. This Daryl, with his heart in his eyes, was an entirely new experience. She realized that she was the reason Daryl had changed his mind about good people being left in this world. "Oh."

Her chance to respond vanished with the clanging of the cans and hubcaps on the porch. She assumed that it was the dog who had come back, and got up to follow Daryl to the door. She slowly stood on her injured foot, and tested the pain as she stepped on it to hobble to the front door. Her stomach twisted with nerves, or anticipation. Daryl had, in his own way, told Beth that he felt something for her. It was something that would need to be explored. Beth gave a small smile; they would live here at this funeral parlor, they would have a dog, and life would be as close to normal as it could be for them.

"Beth!" Daryl shouted from the front room. "Beth!"

The way he shouted sent waves of panic up Beth's spine. She could hear the fear in his voice, and as she listened closer she could hear moans and shuffles indicating that there were walkers at the door. She grabbed his crossbow and sprinted to the door, ignoring the pain in her foot. He tried to hold it shut; arms, decomposed and rotten, pushed the front door open.

"Grab your things and run to the street. I'll meet you there!"

"I'm not leaving you!" She shouted in panic.

"Go." He ordered again. She limped back to the kitchen to grab what she could and get out to safety.

She cracked the window and slipped out onto the porch. This side of the house only had two walkers milling about the yard. Beth braced herself for the pain that was sure to come, and she ran as fast as she could through the trees and to the road where Daryl would meet her. She was nearly blind with pain, but her survival was more important than a few minutes of comfort.

He knew why he had ordered her to go, instead of staying to fight them off with him. In her condition, it was best if she could avoid the walkers' attention completely, and if she stayed to help Daryl, he would be more concerned about her than his own life. It didn't stop the worry from eating her up inside.

She held tight to their things, and turned to watch the house. She could just see the front door through the trees. She prayed that Daryl would make it out of the house safely. She couldn't help but picture Daryl's eyes softening on her just a few moments ago. She didn't want to lose him before she even had him.

She was watching the house so intently that she didn't hear the boots crunching the gravel behind her until it was too late. A hand wrapped around her throat before she could scream. "If you attract their attention, you will die."

The voice was deep, and his breath was hot on the back of her neck. She could smell his putrescence. He hadn't bathed in weeks, and the breath on her neck smelled worse than the rest of him. He wasn't alone. She heard another's footsteps coming closer. "Get her in the car."

Beth wiggled, attempting to free herself from the man holding her. "Daryl!" She screamed.

The arm tightened around her throat. "I wasn't fucking kidding."

She had to stall. She had to wait until Daryl got out of the house. Beth knew the kinds of things that men like this did to girls like her. Newspapers and 20/20 had told stories of men who kidnapped women and sold them as sex slaves back when the world was right. The world was wrong, now, and she knew that Daryl was right in believing that there were horrible people out there. She was being pulled toward the car with a white cross on it. "No." She said finally, twisting away and getting slapped for her efforts. She grasped her cheek, but backed away, right into the arms of the other guy who grabbed her under her arms. "Grab her feet, Gordon."

Beth kicked out, twisted, and struggled in an attempt to get away. "Put me down!" She screamed and kicked her foot into Gordon's chin. He dropped her feet and lunged toward her, grabbing her hair. "Listen here, girl." He said, yanking harder. "This is it. You fight, and you are dead. You scream, and you are dead. There's no one here to save you."

The rest of his tirade was cut short when a bolt flew into his neck. Gordon's partner spun around, whipping Beth with him. Once again, an arm was around her throat. She could see Daryl's eyes widen, and while she was scared for herself, she was still scared for him. The man pulled a gun out and leveled it in Daryl's direction. Daryl held the crossbow steady, and he growled, "Let her go."

"She's mine." The man said as he began dragging her on his own back towards the car, and past Gordon who was choking on blood.

"Let her go." Daryl insisted again.

The man holding her smelled just as rotten as Gordon. He was bigger though, and Beth could feel the muscles in his arm clench as he held his forearm just under her neck. Beth struggled to breathe, and her face was beginning to turn red. The man slowly turned the gun from Daryl and pressed it right up against Beth's temple. Beth panicked. She could see this being her end. She had teased Daryl about not needing him anymore, but she needed him desperately.

"Now see," the man said shoving the gun harder into her head. "I could let her go, but it doesn't get me what I want. This bitch here," he said, moving his hand to her breasts, "would make a beautiful little pet. I'm sure you've given her a ride." His hand moved to reach inside her pants. Beth was shocked, and terrified. No one had ever touched her there before. The only thing she could think of is the time a police officer came to her school and talked to her class about sexual assault and ways to get away from an attacker.

An elbow into the gut can save a life. It's the strongest part of the human body. If she could just distract him for a moment and not get shot, Daryl could kill him. With one quick move, Beth made contact just under the man's ribs. She heard a crunch, and a groan. She turned just as the gun went off right next to her ear. She felt a bullet hit her shoulder. She screamed as she dropped to the ground, and she felt a bolt sweep past her hair. Like she knew it would, Daryl's shot hit its mark, and the man slumped forward on top of Beth.

"Beth!" Daryl screamed and ran over to throw the dead man off of her. "Are you okay?"

She grabbed her shoulder. White hot pain bloomed from the bullet wound, and blood was spreading over her shirt. "No."

Daryl pulled the collar of her shirt over to inspect the wound. "Daryl."

Daryl looked up into Beth's face. Tears were falling, which he expected, but the look of pure terror wasn't expected. Daryl looked back and saw the walkers he hadn't killed shambling out of the house, their steps a zig-zag pattern on the lawn.

Daryl picked up Beth's bag and his shotgun and picked up Beth's small frame in his arms. It was cumbersome, but he was just running past the dead and dying man to the car in which they had planned to make their escape.

Once they reached the car, Daryl placed Beth and their things into the passenger seat and ran around to the driver's side. He slid into the car and reached to turn the keys in the ignition, but grasped thin air instead. "Fuck!" He shouted and began to scramble. He had to get himself and Beth out of there quick.

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Light That Never Goes Out**

* * *

 

Take me out tonight  
Where there's music and there's people  
And they're young and alive  
Driving in your car  
I never, never want to go home  
Because I haven't got one  
Anymore

And if a double-decker bus  
Crashes into us  
To die by your side  
Is such a heavenly way to die  
And if a ten-ton truck  
Kills the both of us  
To die by your side  
Well, the pleasure - the privilege is mine

-The Smiths, There is a Light that Never Goes Out

* * *

 

Daryl grasped at thin air as he reached for the keys in the ignition. He checked the center console and cup holder just in case the two men had left the keys there. He was pissed off. They had obviously thought that their get-away didn't need to be quick if they didn't think it was important to keep their keys in the car and the car running. That meant that they knew that Daryl would be dead, or they had done this before without trouble. He didn't have time to analyze it now, but knowing that this was planned enraged him. Daryl grabbed his gun from his belt and climbed out of the driver's seat.

"Daryl!" Beth shrieked. If he went back to the two men just to get the keys he wouldn't make it. One walker had already started tearing apart the dead man.

He looked at her sternly, "Hush. We're going to get out of here." He gave Beth the gun, making sure to give it to her left hand—the one that wasn't injured. "If something comes, shoot. Don't worry about the sound, and don't worry about saving bullets. This is more important." He knelt on the ground and pulled a bunch of wires from underneath the steering column. "Give me your knife." It had been his knife, but she needed it more.

Beth put the gun down to use her good arm to pull the knife out of her pocket. It was an awkward reach, because her good arm was her non-dominant hand, and opposite from the pocket she kept her knife. She kept the gun on her knee as she reached for the knife, and as she pulled the knife out the gun slipped to her feet, right behind the crossbow. She handed Daryl the knife as quick as she could and reached down for the gun. It was hard to reach as she tried to keep her shoulder still.

As her fingers touched the metal, warm from Daryl's skin, she heard from the open door a gurgling, groaning sound. Daryl looked up into the hungry maw of a walker. His hands were still under the steering wheel. "Beth!"

She hooked her middle finger around the trigger guard and pulled it up into her hand. She wasn't steady, but she fired. She missed, hitting the walker's ear. "Beth!" Daryl screamed again, a hand going up to protect himself from being bitten.

The walker was leaning over Daryl, close to biting his shoulder. She had to focus and hit only the walker. She couldn't miss this time. Recalling the times in the woods when Daryl told her to breathe out before shooting, she exhaled slowly and shot at the bottom of her exhale. The finally dead undead fell onto Daryl, and he shoved it aside. Daryl quickly cut the right cables, started the engine, and jumped back into the car. He climbed in right before a second walker could grab him.

He took a shaky breath as they sped off. He could see a group of walkers in the rearview stumbling after their car, and even more around the two dead men. He looked over at Beth who had dropped his gun into the cup holder in the center consul. He thought better of commenting that she almost got him killed. Had it been anyone else, he wouldn't have hesitated, but right now, in this moment, he couldn't be angry at Beth.

He looked over at her with a worried glance. Her eyes were closed and her face was twisted in pain. Her left hand covered her right shoulder; it was covered in blood and her fingers were pressing deeply to cover the wound. Occasionally, she hissed out, showing just how much it hurt.

"You're gonna be fine." Daryl said, though he wasn't sure if he was reassuring her or himself more. "We'll find a place real quick and I'll have a look at 'cha."

Beth opened her eyes and looked at him. "It hurts."

"Fuck, yeah it does." Daryl had been shot with one of his own bolts more than a year ago. "D'ya think it came out the other side?"

"Oh no. What if it didn't come out?" Beth said, worry starting to creep up into her voice.

"Then you'll have a bullet in your shoulder." Daryl shrugged. "It ain't going to kill you."

"Damn you, Daryl Dixon. We'll have to dig it out." Her pitch got higher and shriller the more she worried about the bullet in her shoulder. Daryl realized that he would have to calm her down. He wasn't really good at calming people down.

Daryl was alright at a lot of things. He was alright at fixing bikes and cars and making things run again. He was alright at killing things. He was alright at making sure that bastards were put into their place, and sometimes he was alright at killing people he had to kill. He just wasn't too good at making things alright. Beth was the one who calmed things down. She was really good at making people happy, and making them see the light in the world, and she was really good at singin'.

Daryl knew what he would need to do to help calm her down. He could hear her breath quicken in the passenger seat beside him. Without looking over he knew she was worried.

Beth was starting to feel anxious and light headed. She worried about dying again, even though she knew that if the blood stopped she'd be fine. Her daddy had told her a couple times about animals he treated that had lost a lot of blood, and that the one thing they needed to worry about was shock. She didn't think that she had lost that much blood, but it covered most of her right sleeve, and was starting to drip down to her elbow. Beth could feel the stickiness in the crook of her arm each time she tried to move it. Her fingers in her left hand were aching, and the ones on the right were cold. 'What were the symptoms of shock again?' she thought as she tried to remember her daddy's lesson.

Daryl cleared his throat, and tried to remember the tune to an old song he knew. His momma used to sing it when she was still alive, and he was young, and he thought she was the most beautiful lady in the world. The bruises on her wrists and cheeks didn't matter to Daryl when he was tiny and his momma would carry him around and sing to him. His daddy hated it and told her that he would grow up to be a sissy boy if she kept at it, and maybe he was a sissy boy, but at least he wasn't a man like his father.

"Before you take another step, there's something you should know," he started singing low and pretty out of tune. He wasn't a good singer, but he hoped that it would calm the young woman beside him enough to keep her alive until they could find shelter. "About the years ahead and how they'll go. You'll be living in a world where roses hardly ever grow."

Beth looked up at the man driving. He could see her gazing at him out of the corner of his eye as he kept driving forward. He made turns now and again when he knew which direction he was headed. They needed to get as far away from the funeral home as they could get, and hopefully far away from anyone else who knew the men who had driven the car before them. He kept an eye on the gas, making sure that they had enough fuel to get somewhere safe, and then find their way back to a town for provisions.

"Cause all I have to offer you is me. There'll be no mansion waiting on the hill with crystal chandeliers, and there'll be no fancy clothes for you to wear. Everything I have is standing here in front of you to see. All I have to offer you is me." His voice cracked and he had to stop singing. His cheeks were flush, and Beth could see he was embarrassed.

Beth's breathing calmed when she focused in on Daryl's singing. He wasn't good, not even a little bit. With his gruff voice and deep drawl, she wasn't sure what song he was trying to sing at first. When he started in on the chorus, she knew exactly which song it was; Charley Pride's "All I Have to Offer You Is Me". Her daddy used to sing it to her momma as they danced in the kitchen on nights when they thought they had sent their children to bed early. Beth, Maggie, and Shawn would sometimes sit on the stairs and watch them dance. Her daddy had been a good singer like her, and her momma had been even better. She sang to remember them, and when her daddy had been alive, she sang to make him happy. That it worked on everyone else was just a bonus.

"Keep singin'," she said softly, her breathing had relaxed, and her frantic thoughts had calmed.

"I don't really remember the rest of the words." Daryl admitted. He remembered a few of them, but they were about wedding rings and loving each other. He wasn't sure he was ready for that idea to be in his head in relation to Beth. "Anyway, there's a hidden drive up ahead, we should check it out."

Beth nodded and Daryl pulled into the "hidden drive" that was now nearly invisible. The gravel which was probably once taken care of was overrun with weeds and wildflowers. Daryl thought that this might be a good hiding spot for a while. The grass could cover up signs of their arrival in a couple days, and it looked like there was a well and a hand pump in the yard. "God bless those who wanted to live way out here."

Beth groaned as she turned to look at the little shack. It was ugly, brown and had shingles and siding falling off, but she hoped it would be a good, safe location for the night. Perhaps it would be a good, safe location for a couple nights.

* * *

 

**Chapter 3: EasyLuckyFree**

* * *

 

Did it all get real? I guess it's real enough  
They've got refrigerators full of blood  
Another century spent pointing guns  
At anything that moves.  
Sometimes I worry that I've lost the plot  
My twitching muscles tease my flippant thoughts  
I never really dreamed of heaven much  
Until we put him in the ground,  
But it's all I'm doing now.

-Bright Eyes, Easy/Lucky/Free

* * *

 

Daryl disconnected the cables under the steering wheel and he climbed out of the car. He closed the door softly and walked around to Beth's side. He was cautious, listening for any signs of movement from the surrounding trees. They were nicely secluded, but he was concerned that the area was going to be overrun with walkers. The last couple hours had been overwhelming, and Daryl wasn't sure that it was quite over with yet.

He opened Beth's door, and leaned in to check on her. "I'm gonna clear the house. You sit tight. I'll be right back." He pulled his crossbow out of the car, and frowned when he saw he only had three bolts left. He didn't want to take the gun, in case Beth needed it, but he knew if he was overrun that he would need some backup safety. "You keep the gun, and I'll take the knife. Yell if you need me, and I'll come running."

Beth nodded. She could feel anxiety creeping up her spine. "Hurry back," she said weakly.

The weakness in her voice made Daryl incredibly worried. He squinted his eyes and gave a quick nod. "I will."

He shut the door silently and looked in at her once more. He hated leaving her alone in the car. Her face was paler than it should be, even in the dark of the night. Daryl was afraid that she was going into shock. She had lost a good amount of blood, and her chin was trembling as he closed the door. She was cold. That was the worst sign, he thought.

Daryl would just have to be quick. He ran up to the door of the house and banged loudly. It wasn't large. It was a single story, which was good for them. One floor would be easy to clear, and easy to escape if they needed to do that. He should have waited a few more moments to see if the coast was clear, but he needed to get back to Beth.

The house was dark and silent. Daryl crept in, and looked around the living room. It was messy. Leaves had blown in and scattered along the floor of the living room. A leather recliner sat in the corner; it was cracked and ripped, and Daryl was certain that there were mice living in it. Same with the couch next to it. He frowned, but continued on into the rest of the house.

He cleared the kitchen, which looked to have a good amount of pots and pans left in it, and perhaps a few dried goods. Daryl spotted some pasta in a container that would keep it dry, and wondered if he could use that to make something for him and Beth to eat tonight. If Beth was up to eating, that is.

He swept through the hallway and bathroom, which was all clear, and made his way to the last room in the house. The bedroom was small, but it was big enough for a double bed and dressers. He checked the closet and saw that there were quite a few men and women's clothes. The bed looked pretty clean and dry. It was still made from the last people who had been there.

Daryl nodded, satisfied that the house was cleared out and safe enough for their use. He'd bring Beth into the kitchen to clean her up, and get her comfortable again. He went back out to the car, and he opened the passenger door without hesitation.

Beth had her eyes closed, she was shivering all over now. "Beth?" Daryl asked, leaning in to the car. She didn't respond. He cursed and pulled her out quickly. The small of her back was drenched in sweat, and Daryl could feel how tightly clenched her muscles were. He raced back to the dilapidated house and laid her down on the kitchen floor. He then rushed to the bedroom to grab a pillow and the quilt off of the bed. First, stop the bleeding. Second, keep her warm. Third, keep her airway open. He laid her down on her good side, with one arm up supporting her head, and one leg tucked over the other. Eventually, when she woke up, he'd elevate her feet, but for now she needed to keep her airway clear. He wrapped the blanket around her, and tried to shove it underneath her as well. Cataloging the steps to save Beth saved his sanity. He could count to three. He could continue to hold pressure to her wound. He could keep watch over her. He couldn't let her die, not when they were finally at a safe spot for the night.

As he held his hand still over her wounded shoulder, pressure deep enough to stop the bleeding, and probably hard enough to bruise, Daryl worried. He worried about Beth; he wanted to make sure that she was okay, and that she would live through the night. He worried that their location wasn't safe enough for the both of them for long. He worried that Beth would be afraid of the rodents he could hear in the walls, scurrying back and forth and gathering food. He worried that she wouldn't wake up to be afraid of them.

Daryl picked up his hand. His hand was stained red, but nothing like Beth's hand. The blood had slowed, and he thought that the wound had stopped gushing and that he would be okay to pump water outside and boil it, either on the stove if it were gas, and working, or he could build a fire and boil the water that way. He checked the stove, and was pleasantly surprised to hear the hiss of gas as it turned on. After switching it off, he grabbed a pot and went outside with the knife to get clean water.

It was dark, but the area they were in was quiet. He couldn't hear the groans of walkers anywhere. He heard cicadas, and off in the distance he could hear a bullfrog croak. He could easily imagine that the world was normal. The fact that he was pumping water to clean the blood off of Beth shattered the illusion completely.

Once the pot was full, Daryl went back to the kitchen to boil the water, and check on Beth again. She was still breathing, and she had stopped shaking. He walked away again to grab clothes from the closet which had been left on the owner's departure. He found a soft cotton t-shirt that looked like it would be several sizes too big on Beth, but she couldn't stay in the shirt she was in in. He also found a couple shirts he could change into. He went to the bathroom to try to find bandages. He found nothing, but he did find a couple towels and several wash cloths. He would need those. He brought what he had found out to the kitchen, and he turned the water off as it had started to boil.

Dipping a wash cloth into the boiling water, Daryl wiped his hands and his arms. He also cleaned his face and neck. The water was still too hot for him to feel comfortable washing Beth off yet. He did bring it to the floor though so he could begin cleaning her up.

Once he had settled everything onto the floor and got it organized, he sat down next to Beth and sighed. He knew what he needed to do. He'd have to cut her shirt off of her and clean her up, but he really didn't want to do that. She had been violated enough tonight.

He rolled her over onto her back and propped her feet up with the pillow he had brought out earlier. He kept the comforter over her as much as he could, and he began with her hands. Daryl took her tiny hand in his and began gently washing the dried blood away. He slowly washed between her fingers, and around her nails. He washed the creases in her fingers, and traced the lines in her palm. He wondered if she had ever had her palm read by a roadside psychic, and if she told her that her life would be a happy one. He hoped that from this point forward her life would be a happy one.

When he realized that he still wasn't ready to cut her clothing off of her, he washed her other arm to where her sleeve hit her bicep. Finally, he resolved himself to doing the hardest task.

He pulled out his knife and cut the middle of her polo shirt from the bottom up. It took a few minutes, and he had a hard time not admiring the expanse of soft skin that was exposed. She had a freckle next to her bellybutton. Daryl committed the freckle to memory. He wanted to close his eyes when he cut up near her breasts, but he thought that might be dangerous. As soon as he could, he slid a t-shirt over her chest to protect her modesty. He slipped the sleeve off of her uninjured shoulder and tried to take it off of her bloody shoulder. It stuck. He frowned, but he cut up the sleeve and as close to the wound as he could. Right now, it would be worse to rip the cloth off than it would be to let it heal. It would come off, eventually. He'd have to help her get it unstuck in a couple days, but they'd be able to clean it up soon. The bullet was still in there. There was no chance that he would be able to surgically remove it, so their best option would be to let her body heal around it. It would scar, but he would do his best to keep it from getting infected.

Daryl cut up a couple of wash cloths, and layered them over the top of the patch of fabric that was stuck to her skin. He cut a couple strips from the bottom of the yellow polo to tie the patches on when he finished cleaning her up. Gently, Daryl patted the wet wash cloth around the blood on her shoulder. There was a lot of it. Slowly the blood washed away to reveal creamy skin underneath. Daryl didn't want to find her shoulder beautiful, not right now as he was doing this task, and not while she didn't have any say in where his eyes went. He was terrified that he could be like that man at the funeral home. He was terrified that he could be a man who would take advantage of her. He would make her swear tomorrow that if he ever took advantage of her, she would shoot him immediately. If he ever put an unkind hand on her, she should leave him alone to die.

Once Daryl got her cleaned up, he tied the wash cloth bandage on with the scraps of fabric, and he made a sling out of a shirt. He slipped the large cotton t-shirt over her head and down her body, covering her up again. He felt better about that, but he worried that Beth would be disturbed when she woke back up. He didn't want her to be upset that he had cleaned her up and changed her shirt, but she was unconscious. She couldn't take care of it herself.

Daryl stood, lifted her and carried her to the bedroom. He put her down in the bed, and put another pillow under her knees. He covered her up with the comforter again, and pulled a chair up to sit down next to her on the bed. He was going to sit next to her throughout the night. He'd be here if she woke up.

He sat there for a few hours, thinking and worrying, and checking on her to make sure that she was okay. He hoped that the makeshift bandage would hold. He could see specks of blood coming through the cloth, but it hadn't soaked into her t-shirt yet. He'd worry about it in the morning if it did.

Eventually, he fell asleep. His hand cupped her smaller one once again. His thumb traced her heart-line unintentionally. He dreamed of Beth.

* * *

 

**Chapter 4: Wolves**

* * *

 

Thick fog  
It hangs, it hangs in the air  
For now, our vision impaired  
We can't see far  
But we can see right here

And it feels like something is coming  
And we've got no time to prepare  
And the woods around us are humming  
With the howls of a new affair  
And are we listening now?

Wolves – Bronze Radio Return

* * *

 

Daryl had fallen asleep by Beth's side, and woke when the sun began to rise. He sat next to her until the light streamed through the window, softly lighting Beth's face. He monitored her breathing as he sat near her, and counted each breath as it slowly escaped from her nose. He held her hand, and kept two fingers on the pulse to make sure she was still here.

A couple hours after he woke, he boiled more water. Some to drink, but most of it was to clean himself up. He had filled the tub and scrubbed himself clean, and scrubbed his clothes as well. He changed into some of the clothes that had been left in the closet. He also found clean briefs. He had no scruples about wearing someone else's shorts, especially since these were clean.

In the medicine cabinet behind the bathroom mirror, Daryl had found a razor. He cleaned up his beard, noticing the gray that was starting to show on his chin. It had been a while since he had a good look in the mirror, and he was surprised at how much older he looked. He hurried this task and turned away as quickly as he could. He had never liked looking at himself in the mirror. He could see too much of his father, and enough of his mother, in himself that it killed him. He shoved the mirror closed, and returned to Beth's side to wait until she woke.

Beth slowly began to stir after the sun was high in the air. Daryl looked up at her expectantly, and clenched her hand tighter. Her fingers curled around his hand, and lightly squeezed, "Daryl?" she whispered as she opened her eyes.

"Yeah." His voice was rough, and expectant.

She slowly reached her hand up to brush the hair on his forehead back, and gave him a soft smile. "You're ok."

"Yeah." He whispered, his face turning to her hand as she dropped it to his cheek.

"'m glad to see you." He smiled into the edge of her hand as she spoke.

"Not as glad as I'm ta see you." Beth smiled and dropped her hand back to the sheet.

She closed her eyes and adjusted herself on the bed, "Can you get the pillow…" she kicked the pillow under her knees. Daryl lifted the edge of the blankets and pulled the pillow out from under her legs. "Thanks," she sighed as she shifted her hips, and drifted to sleep again.

Daryl felt better about moving from her side now; she was fine, but exhausted. He was tired too, but he wanted to get some food for them while it was still light out.

He came back to the house with a couple squirrels and a rabbit about two hours later. He immediately went to check on Beth and was glad to see that she was still asleep. He checked her bandage, and frowned when he saw that the blood had soaked through, but it looked like it had stopped for the most part. She would have to get cleaned up again soon.

Daryl went to the kitchen to make some food for the two of them. He skinned and sautéed the meat, and boiled the pasta. It had been a long time since he had had pasta. It had been one of the first foods looted from most of the supply stores early on. He hadn't found any since. He found spices and olive oil in the cupboard, and he seasoned both the pasta and meat, hoping to give it all a little more flavor. It smelled good, really good, and his mouth began to water.

He was startled when he heard feet shuffling behind him, and he grabbed the knife he had used to skin the squirrel and rabbit, but kept his hands still on the counter, waiting until whatever was behind him to get closer. He had no idea how a walker got in. _Beth_. Immediately, he thought the worst, and was scared to turn around and see that his Beth had been turned. He wouldn't be able to kill her. He would die before he killed her.

"Smells good," Daryl let out a sigh of relief, and he turned around to face a living Beth. His shoulders softened, and he released his hold on the knife.

"I had more to work with this time," he said as he moved to pull out a chair at the small table for Beth to sit. She smiled and sat down, holding her arm close to her body. "How're ya feelin'?"

"It hurts," Daryl nodded, and went to grab two plates to dish up the pasta and meat.

"You up for eatin'?"

"Yeah." Beth said, and he placed a plate in front of her, and a glass of lukewarm water.

Beth began to eat slowly, looking up into Daryl's clean face every couple of minutes. "You shaved." She observed.

Daryl grunted; his cheeks heated, and he was grateful for the low light in the room that would mask his embarrassment.

"It's a compliment." She continued with a smile.

"Yeah, I know." He could feel the blood rush to his ears now. He ducked his head and began to shovel the spaghetti into his mouth.

Beth could see that he was uncomfortable. She let him eat without any more comments about how nice he looked when he was all cleaned up.

"Thank you," She said after a few minutes of silence.

"For what?" Daryl asked looking up.

"For taking care of me." Beth motioned to her new shirt, even though it already had blood on the shoulder. At least it was her blood. She had noticed that he had cleaned her up as best as he could as well. "For rescuing me, and for the food."

Daryl ducked his head more. "I tried to keep you covered up as good as I could. I ain't no pervert."

Beth smiled sadly and reached across the table to cover his hand that clenched his fork. "I know you're not. You're better than that. You're a good man, Daryl Dixon. You're a hero."

"I sure as hell ain't no goddamned hero." He knew he wasn't a hero. Rick was a hero. Daryl was nothing compared to Rick. "I was just keepin' you alive."

"Sounds like a hero to me." Daryl shook his head in defiance.

Beth leaned back in her chair and looked at him pensively. Daryl looked up at her, his eyes squinting into the dim light. "Daddy brought home this dog once. Sandy." She began to speak softly, "Sandy was this pitiful little thing. She was half starved, and covered in fleas. She cowered in a corner for the better part of two days. She finally came out to eat, but she snarled and snapped at us if we got too close to her. I was no more than five or six, and I had wanted a puppy so bad. Daddy told me I had to leave her alone until she got comfortable with us. I tried to give her treats and get her to sleep beside my bed, but she didn't want to be anywhere near us. Slowly, she got more comfortable in the house, and slowly she began to warm up to us."

Daryl had an idea of why Beth was telling him this story; he was the dog. He just didn't know how the dog related to the conversation that they were having previously. He considered that it might be a random story. Beth was prone to random stories, but he didn't really believe that was the case now.

"One summer night, Daddy was working late, and Momma had gone to her church group meeting. Maggie and Shawn were watching me. I was supposed to be sleeping, but since Momma and Daddy were gone, I wanted to wait up with my siblings. Maggie yelled at me for not going to bed, so I ran outside to my swing set to wait for Momma. Sandy followed me outside, but she still kept her distance. I was used to it. Even though I wanted to play, she kept to herself. I didn't know that there was an infestation of black widows that summer, but I sure did find out when I went to hide under the slide. I was hiding outside for probably twenty minutes. I could hear Shawn and Maggie yelling for me, but I suddenly started to feel really awful. I felt achy and felt like I couldn't move. I started to get sick, and shake. Sandy came over to me and started barking. She laid down beside me and helped me get up to walk back to the house. She didn't stop whimpering and howling until Shawn and Maggie found me a couple yards from the house."

Beth paused in her memory and looked up at Daryl. "You know how in English class they ask you to write an essay about what a hero means to you?" She smiled, "I used to always write my essays about Sandy, and about how she was my hero when I was six. After I got better, Sandy never left my side. She died when I was fifteen, and she was my best friend for the longest time."

She was quiet for a long time as she pushed some of the pasta around on her plate. She took a few bites, and put her fork down on the table.

"If I had to write that essay again, I'd write it about you."

Daryl didn't know how to respond, so he grunted softly. He saved her because he cared about her, and he knew that he didn't want to be alone; not any more.

"You saved me last night, Daryl. I won't ever forget it."

Daryl nodded, and he swallowed thickly. "I wish I didn't hafta." He gripped his fork tightly and he slammed it down on the table. "If I could kill that sonofabitch again I would. He shouldn'ta touched you like that, Beth! He shouldn'ta put one hand on you. I would kill him slowly if I could, and I would do it five times over if I hadta."

Beth stood and walked over to Daryl. He grabbed her waist and held on tight. Beth ran the fingers of her good hand through his hair. His shoulders shook. "I was scared he was gonna kill you. I was scared you was gonna die last night."

"Shh," she knelt and placed a kiss on the top of his head. "I'm here, Daryl. I wasn't afraid. You know why?"

Daryl shook his head as he stared deep into her eyes. One giant tear rolled down his cheek. "You were there. I wasn't afraid because you were there."

Daryl leaned forward and kissed Beth softly on the lips.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Wild Horses**

* * *

 

I know I've dreamed you a sin and a lie  
I have my freedom but I don't have much time  
Faith has been broken, tears must be cried  
Let's do some living after we die  
Wild horses, couldn't drag me away  
Wild, wild horses we'll ride them someday

-The Rolling Stones, Wild Horses

* * *

 

Beth could still feel her lips tingling from when Daryl kissed her. She curled in on herself in the hot water of the bath as she adjusted to the temperature. Daryl had filled the bath for her, and she had investigated the shampoos and soaps and lotions that had been left by the owners of the house. She had found the razor that Daryl had used to shave his beard. She grabbed it to shave under her arms and her legs. She wanted to be clean more than anything.

She softened the bandage that had dried on her shoulder with the hot water. She used a cup from the kitchen to pour water onto her shoulder, and the water ran red into the steaming bath. She hissed as the hot water soaked into her wound, but she was able to peel back the cotton. On her shoulder was an open star, blood trickled slowly from the wound in places where the cotton had still clung. She carefully washed it with soap, and took care to keep it as dry as possible while she bathed the rest of her body.

After she shaved her legs, Beth began to feel much cleaner. The showers at the prison hadn't be long enough to luxuriate like this, and washing became more about keeping diseases at bay than shaving your legs to feel pretty. Beth missed feeling pretty. She couldn't lift her arm very well to shave under her arms, but she did the best job she could. She wished there was another woman around who could help her. There was no way she would ask Daryl for this. She blushed as she thought that perhaps someday she would.

She didn't know what to make of the kiss. It cleared up his feelings toward her for one; that was certain. She knew now that he didn't think of her like a little kid that he was stuck with. Like he had said, he wasn't a pervert. If he still thought of her as a child, he wouldn't have kissed her in the first place.

It was a short kiss. It lasted mere seconds, but they were the best seconds of Beth's life. Other moments had lasted longer. Her father's death stretched eons in her mind. She thought that the first time she hugged him lasted longer than their first kiss.

She smirked as she recalled Daryl standing up and muttering something about cleaning up. He asked her if she wanted a bath and she agreed to it. He escaped outside immediately to collect water to boil for her. He had needed to keep busy after their kiss.

Beth finished washing. It was difficult with her arm, but she had made it work one handed. She pulled the drain and climbed out of the tub slowly, clutching the towel to her chest as water dripped on the linoleum floor.

* * *

 

Daryl berated himself as he sat on the weather beaten porch of the house.

"Stupid sonofabitch," He cursed. "Fuckin' up this whole situation… Fuck, Dixon." Beth was in the bath, and Daryl needed space to figure this all out. "Goddamn," He whispered, "And crying like a fuckin' infant." He scrubbed his hand over his face.

What would his brother say? Well, he guessed his brother would ask if he was a fuckin' faggot first. Gettin' too emotional about somebody else touchin' his woman. He'd ask if he'd claimed her yet, and if not, if he could have a go.  _No fuckin' way, Merle._  He hated that his brother could still make him feel insecure even after his death. Daryl shook his head, dislodging Merle from his memory.

Daryl scrubbed his face in his hands and thought about Rick. Rick would probably hate Daryl for taking advantage of such a young woman. Daryl tensed. He clenched his fists and let out short shallow breaths. Did he take advantage of her? He stared off into the distance as he became lost in thought.

Beth bandaged her shoulder, dressed in comfortable clothing found in the bedroom, and softly padded her way out into the living room. She could hear little feet scratching in the couch, ripping the fabric as they burrowed further into the cushions. She shuddered and hurried through the living room to stop herself from seeing any of the rodents that were doing a better job at survival than most of the humans she had met.

* * *

 

Daryl wasn't in the kitchen. He hadn't been in the living room or bedroom either. "Daryl?" Beth called softly.

She looked out the dark window, and she could see a dark form walking toward the house.  _Daryl must have gone out for a walk around the house to check for anything,_ she thought.  _Or he wanted to be on his own._  She wondered about his 'lone wolf' tendencies, and she wondered just how healthy solitude was for a person. Even though she was comfortable being alone, she felt better when there was someone with her. Even if it was baby Judith in her lap; having someone was better than being alone.

Beth slipped out the door, and looked down in shock when she saw Daryl sitting before her on the rickety stairs of the porch. If Daryl was sitting before her, it was impossible for Daryl to be the one walking toward the house. She looked up at the ambling form in front of them when she realized that it was a walker. How could she have been so blind? She should have recognized the walk immediately, and warned Daryl. She had to warn him now.

"Daryl!" She squeaked, and shook his shoulder.

Daryl didn't respond. She could see just how tense his shoulders were, and how his knuckles had turned white from squeezing them so tight. Beth shook his shoulder again, and shouted his name.

Finally, he looked up and into her eyes. Beth took a deep breath and backed away. His blue eyes didn't seem to recognize who she was, and that frightened her more than the walker shuffling closer. Though they were turned toward her, his eyes seemed to be looking somewhere else, somewhere in the past. It was if she was someone else, someone who terrified the bravest man she knew. "Daryl," she called again as she looked up at the walker stepping closer.

Daryl finally looked out at the walker, and in less than a second he sprang into action. He grabbed the knife at his belt and dispatched the walker in one fluid movement. They were lucky that it was only the one walker that had ventured near, but Daryl didn't want to take any chances. He guided Beth back into the house. Beth went willingly.

"What the hell was that?" Beth asked as they stood in the kitchen, her arms wrapped around herself. She was furious. She was scared. She didn't know why Daryl was acting the way that he was.

"What?" Daryl shrugged as he wiped his knife off of a towel with butterflies embroidered on it. He knew what she was talking about. He had gotten lost in a memory he would have rather not recalled, and it had taken him too much time to snap out of it.

"That! Out there! You just sat there!" Beth's voice got louder the more worried she got. She couldn't lose Daryl.

Daryl looked at her out of the corner of his eye and he shrugged again. This was something he couldn't tell her.

"No. Don't shrug this off, Daryl. What the hell was going through your head? Didn't you see the walker out there?"

"N'mind." He mumbled, and looked away.

"Never mind!" Beth fumed. "You put yourself in danger, Daryl. I'm not going to ignore that."

"You don't have to, but you don't get to yell at me." Daryl stormed past her, picking up his crossbow as he made his way to the door again.

Beth froze. He was leaving her here with no way to defend herself. Her eyes went wide as she watched those angel wings starting through the door.

"Go to bed, Beth." He said gruffly. "I'm gonna go sit in the car for a bit."

"You're leaving me." She whispered.

Daryl whipped his head back around quickly and gave her a look. "I ain't."

Beth didn't believe him. She sank back into the table behind her, allowing it to support her weight as she leaned her back against it. "Beth, I ain't gonna leave you."

Daryl came back to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "I promise I ain't leaving. I just… I can't be here right now."

He turned away and stomped out the door into the dark night.

Beth heard his boots stomping outside near the car, and she heard the old creaky door open and close as he got in. The engine didn't start. The car didn't move. She wondered if he was waiting for her to go to sleep before he made an escape and left her on her own without so much as a gun to keep her going. There was nothing Beth could do but turn out the lights, shut the door, and go to bed. If he was going to leave, he would do it when he thought she was asleep.

Beth lay down in the big bed and she curled up on her good shoulder. She fought not to cry, because she knew she wouldn't hear the engine start over her tears.

She had lain like that for over two hours before her eyes became heavy and sleep threatened to overtake her. Each blink became longer, and slower, and her breathing started to even out. She didn't fight it. She knew that Daryl would be gone in the morning, and she'd be on her own. One girl in a strange and unforgivable world.

She didn't hear the soft footsteps that made their way into the bedroom, and she didn't feel the bed dip beside her as someone heavier than she sat on top of the covers. She didn't see the dirt knock from his boots as he lifted a knee up to better position himself on the narrow edge he claimed. She didn't see Daryl lift a hand above his brow and position it there for his own comfort as he, too, drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Don't Be Angry**

* * *

 

Who's gonna rescue me from myself if you leave  
Oh please believe me when I tell you I'm sorry  
You're everything I need all at once to be at peace  
With the slow dying watching what I love disappearing  
Oh please believe me when I tell you I'm sorry

-Rocky Votolato, Don't Be Angry

* * *

 

Sleep was slow to come to Daryl Dixon. He thought that he could lay down and he would fall asleep like he normally did, but as he laid beside Beth, his thoughts kept swirling. He thought about his reaction, and he thought about his past, but mostly, he thought about Beth.

Out in the car he stewed about the fact that Beth thought that he would just walk away from her. Just days ago, he had shouted at her for thinking the worst of him, and yet again she was thinking the worst of him. He fumed for a couple hours until he allowed himself to relax. When he did, he wondered if Beth's reaction was purely fear; a fear that had been proven time and time again when people she loved left and never returned.

He simmered when he saw her fear for what it was. He and she were night and day; light and dark. His fear was loud and angry. Hers was desperate and smothering. She could still find the good in people, and until a couple days ago, he had given up hope. She was his candle; his light in the darkness.

Daryl had come inside when he cooled down, and when he didn't feel like he was in danger of exploding at the young woman who was truly scared of losing him. Beth was in bed. He laid down on the bed beside her and tried to force himself to sleep, but with Beth's back to him he had a hard time relaxing.

When Beth rolled onto her back in her sleep, Daryl reached between them and grabbed her hand, and as his fingers traced her palm he finally drifted off to sleep.

Beth had woke once in the middle of the night. She had turned over onto her injured shoulder, and the pain shocked her awake. She was surprised to find her hand caught in Daryl's grasp, but she smiled and relaxed into knowing that he wasn't going anywhere without her.

When she woke again a few hours later, she was alone. She wondered if she dreamed Daryl holding her hand, but as she sat up, she saw the dirt on the comforter from Daryl's boots, and she knew he had spent the night there. She was confused about the boots, but she figured that at some point he would trust their location enough to sleep without his boots on.

Beth limped out of the bedroom; her ankle bothered her a little more today than it had the day before. As she walked through the living room, she saw a mouse scurry across the rug, and she jumped. She luckily held back a scream, but she covered her eyes and groaned.

"I still hate them."

"Hate what?" She heard a gruff voice ask.

"Mice." He chuckled and she uncovered her eyes to meet Daryl's. His hair was mussed in the back where he had slept on it.

"They've stayed out of the kitchen for the most part. Mainly 'cause there wasn't much here to begin with." He shrugged. "Come in here."

He turned and went back to the kitchen. He pulled out a chair for Beth to sit in, and set the cold, leftover dinners from last night on the table. "Not really breakfast, but I ain't got cereal and O.J."

"It's fine." Beth said, picking at the food that seemed less appetizing early in the morning. "Thank you."

"I put leftovers on a plate. It don't require thanks."

Even though he had slept enough beside Beth last night, he was still a little prickly and anxious. Beth saw how his shoulders tensed, and knew that he just wasn't sure what to say. She took the chance to sit with him and not say anything. Eventually, Daryl sat down next to her and picked at his own plate of food.

"I, uh, wann'ed to talk to you 'bout somethin'." He said, after several long moments of silence.

"Sure," Beth said, as she put her fork down and looked at Daryl who was focusing on something outside the small kitchen window.

"'bout last night." Beth nodded; she agreed that they needed to talk about it.

"Ya know I ain't good with words, but I don't say nothin' I don't mean."

"I know that, Daryl."

"Then why didn' cha believe me when I said I wasn't gonna leave ya last night?" She was surprised. She thought that he had wanted to talk about the kiss. It would have made the most sense. She thought that Daryl would have regretted kissing her, and that he wanted to tell her that nothing could happen because she was too young. Beth didn't have an answer.

"Why do ya think the worst of me? Still. I ain't gonna lie to ya, and I ain't gonna jus' leave ya."

"You should have." Beth said. "I can't run. I can't fight. I'm the weakest link, and more'n likely I'm gonna get you killed."

"What happened to that girl who told me she was a survivor?"

"She nearly got killed, and got you killed with her."

"Naw," Daryl said, flicking his hair out of his eyes. "We had 'em. We weren't gonna get killed by two idiots who thought that they could jus' take you without a fight."

Beth was silent, but she continued looking at Daryl with a frown pulling the corners of her lips down. "You were so out of it." She said softly, "I've never seen you like that before, and I know it's 'cause of me."

Daryl nodded. "Yeah."

Beth looked at him expectantly. She needed more of an answer than just a confirmation that it was because of her that he had zoned out like that.

"I ain't had a good life, Beth." He said. "I just remember that some times more than others."

Beth frowned, "I don't judge you for that. The person you were and the person you are—"

"It ain't that. That ain't what I'm talkin' about. Sometimes I didn't have choices, and sometimes I had to do things to keep myself alive."

"Things like what?"

Daryl grunted in acknowledgement that he had heard the question, but he wasn't sure how to respond. It was something he had never spoken about, nor did he want to. It was something that had dictated his life for a long time, and it was something even his brother didn't know about. He got up and pushed in his chair, and decided to avoid the question.

"We should try to find somewhere new today. And see if we can't find any signs of anyone."

Beth nodded and watched him as he began pulling cans of food out of the cabinets. She wanted to find her family too, but she needed to be alright with Daryl. She needed to make sure they were fine, because without him she would be dead.

"I'm sorry." She said softly. Daryl turned around, not expecting to hear that from her. "For not trusting you."

Daryl made a pleased sound in the back of his throat and gave Beth a small smile. As he passed her to look for bags in the bedroom closet he gently pressed his hand onto her shoulder, letting her know that all was well. The only thing that left her confused was the kiss they had shared before her bath. She wasn't sure if she should bring it up or not. In the end, she decided to keep it to herself for now. Something would happen, and either they would talk about it, or it would happen again.

* * *

 

"We need to ditch this car somewhere," Daryl said as they drove toward the nearest city. "I also need to get some bolts for my crossbow."

"How are we on food?" Beth asked. She had packed up changes of clothing and made bottles of water. Daryl had been in charge of salvaging the rest of the food and figuring out what supplies they really had.

"We got a couple days' worth of cans. More if we can stretch it out with some game, but with only three bolts, I'm a little nervous about shootin' anything."

Beth nodded. "Alright. Should we figure out the car or the weapons situation first?"

Daryl shrugged. "I'd like to ditch this car as soon as possible."

"Let's try to find a suitable car first, but if we find a store we should have a look for something to defend ourselves. Bolts especially."

"There was a little huntin' store not far from the prison. This area's good for that business. We'll have to hope that isn't a store that's been picked clean though."

They drove for a while longer, sticking to side streets and ignoring the cars that were pulled to the side. It wasn't likely that the cars pulled to the side had any gas left in them, so they kept moving. They eventually began passing houses, and some had cars sitting in the driveway. They were far enough out that these cars looked to be in good condition, but like they had been in the elements for some time.

"Let's check it out." Daryl said, as he pulled into the driveway of a house with three cars in the driveway. "If nothing else, we can siphon enough gas into one car to get us to a hunting store."

Beth nodded. "Maybe the keys are in the house."

Daryl agreed. "I'm gonna check the cars first, make sure nothing is obviously wrong before I risk going in."

"I'm going in with you."

"You can't fight anything off."

"No, but I can watch your back."

Daryl grumbled but acquiesced. He would need someone to keep an eye on his back, to alert him if there was any danger. He could keep Beth right beside him, and keep her safe. He disconnected the cables that allowed the car to run, and he opened the door slowly. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, and the cars that sat in the driveway had a thick enough layer of dirt that indicated that they hadn't been touched in a good while. Since the start of all of this, probably.

He walked around to the other side of the car and opened up the door. Beth couldn't move her right arm, so he was playing southern gentleman until she got better. Beth climbed out of the car, and kept an eye out for movement while Daryl peeked an eye in each window, and tried the doors.

He nodded at one that looked like it would be a good ride for the two of them, and he checked the others. Daryl felt off about this place. He wasn't sure if it was the proximity of the neighbor's houses, and the fact that they couldn't see for acres like at the farm and the prison, or something else. He tried to shake it off and listen for anything coming, but he couldn't hear anything more than birds chirping in the distance.

"This one's got some supplies in it. We'll sort through that once we have a look 'round the house." Beth nodded, "You ready to head in?"

"Yeah. Let's find the keys and get out of here. I'm getting some weird vibes."

Daryl nodded. "Yeah. Hunter's instinct. What do you think it is?"

Beth shook her head, "I don't know. I just don't feel safe right now."

"Me neither. Let's get a move on."

They scanned the house for anything valuable, and grabbed three sets of keys on the way out the door. The owners of the home had looked like they were packing up to evacuate the town, but something had happened and they left with nothing. Daryl was surprised to find a wide array of bolts in the home's den which had been turned into a "weapon's room". It was a mess and haphazard, but it had a good assortment of weapons. Everything from pick axes and shovels to guns and bows. He loaded up what he could carry, and loaded Beth up with a bit more.

Beth walked out the door in front of Daryl. Her eyes widened as she looked at a large group of men pointing weapons at them.

"I claim the girl," the one with the bow said, "and the arrows."

* * *

**Chapter 7: Nothing Else Matters**

* * *

 

Never opened myself this way  
Life is ours, we live it our way  
All these words I don't just say  
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you  
Every day for us something new  
Open mind for a different view  
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do  
Never cared for what they know  
But I know

\- Metallica, Nothing Else Matters

* * *

 

"I claim the girl. And the arrows."

The tall, skinny man with a bow sighted on Beth stood perpendicular to Beth and Daryl. Four men held guns that they pointed at the duo, and a sixth man stood behind them, leaning against the car Beth and Daryl had been driving.

Daryl had his crossbow lifted into his arms. His biceps tensed as he looked around and wondered who he was going to have to shoot first. The guy who "claimed" Beth seemed like a good choice. He didn't understand what he meant by claiming her. Beth was her own woman, and in most instances she could take care of herself. He chanced a glance at her, and he noted with pride that she had a gun raised in her left hand. It was less of a sure shot, but if anyone got too close to her she would be able to take him out.

"Now, wait just a minute," the sixth guy who was leaning against the car. He moved forward, between two of the men and to the bottom of the stairs where Beth and Daryl were standing. "You're a bow man, through and through, ain't ya? See, the thing I like about men who carry bows is that we know for sure what type of guy you are. Guys carryin' guns could have been photographers in the old world. Guys carryin' bows were hunters and probably good trackers. You can't just learn how to shoot one accurately in a few days."

He turned his attention to Beth and gave her an appraising look, "Girls though. Girls just don't make it in this world." He shook his head like he was sad about that, even though he seemed like the type of man to drain a woman until she was nothing but a shell of her former self and geek chow. "They aren't fast enough or strong enough, and they aren't survivors."

He took several steps toward Beth, and Daryl quickly moved between her and the guy. "Back off."

"Ah. Spoken for, huh? Listen, your daughter's going to be well taken care of. She'll be fed, and kept safe from biters. And what's sharing amongst friends?" He gestured to the men behind him with a sweep of his hand.

Daryl pressed the tip of his crossbow into the center of the man's chest forcefully. The guy put his hands up, and the men surrounding him took a step closer, all of their weapons pointed directly at Daryl. He could hear the click of five safeties being turned off. "She's not my daughter."

He felt Beth move closer to him, and noticed the guy wave down the other men. "Your girlfriend then. Scandalous. She got daddy issues or somethin'?" He heard Beth huff behind him and imagined that her eyes turned to steel as she glared at the man in front of them.

"You must have me confused with someone whom you think you can speak to in that way." Beth's voice was uncharacteristically cold, and when Daryl turned to look her in the face he noticed that her lips were in a firm straight line, and she was projecting an air of confidence that he had never seen in her before. "You're going to back away. Now."

The man tilted his head and gave Beth a little smirk. With a nod he took a step backwards down the stairs, but he didn't move away. "Girl's got some cojones. I can respect that. I'm Joe."

Daryl looked around at the guys who were still aiming their weapons at them. He began to lower his crossbow when the other men lowered their weapons. The one with the arrow who "claimed" Beth was the only one who looked disgruntled about not killing Daryl then and there. "Daryl," he grunted, "and Beth."

"You two would be better off if you came with us. Safety in numbers and all that. We won't kill you, and we won't take advantage of your woman. She's yours, and we will respect that."

Daryl was apprehensive, but he knew that getting away from this group would be more difficult than just saying no. If he declined, there was a chance that he would be killed and Beth would have a fate worse than death. He turned back to Beth, and he could see a slight shake in her head. She didn't want to go with them. He didn't blame her, but he knew he was better use to her alive than he would be dead.

Daryl nodded and hoisted his crossbow onto his shoulder. He looked at Beth and hoped that she would understand, and that she would wait until they were alone before getting angry at him. She stared at him wide eyed, but she put her gun into the waistband of her pants and followed Daryl. The men stared at her, but were soon distracted by claiming Beth and Daryl's possessions.

* * *

 

They walked along the tracks slowly, the majority of the men were ahead of Joe and Daryl. Beth came along slowly behind them. Daryl wanted her to walk next to him; he wanted to talk to her without the men overhearing. He wanted to figure out a way out of this situation, but he needed her cooperation.

"We're hunting a guy who killed one of our own, and let him turn so he would attack us." Joe told Daryl. "Tony got a good look at him, and once we find him, we're going to get revenge."

Daryl looked back at Beth, who was falling further behind. He slowed his pace, and Joe slowed with him. He didn't want to leave Daryl and Beth alone. He had a feeling that they would try to evade the group, and Joe didn't think that would be a good choice. If they did that, the other men would certainly kill Daryl and someone would claim Beth. Hell, he might even claim Beth if it came down to that.

"She's injured." Daryl said gruffly to Joe. He looked up at the older man. "I don't think she can go much further."

"We ain't stoppin'." Joe said, his face hardening.

Daryl nodded and sided up to Beth. She stopped and looked up at him with a pained expression. "You doin' okay?"

"No." Beth glared at him. She was angry that they were in this situation. Her ankle was hurting. Her shoulder was hurting. She wanted to stop. She wanted out. She wanted to go back to the mouse infested house and start the day over. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

"It's gonna be fine. We're gonna be fine. Please, trust me."

Beth sighed, "I do, but I don't trust them."

"I know." Daryl sighed as well and put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't make a move to get any closer to him. "Listen, if we just keep our heads low, and we follow along we'll be fine. Merle and I used to hang around guys like this. We follow their rules and we'll be fine."

Beth nodded, she knew Daryl had a rough past, and she knew that included hanging around people who were even more unsavory than these guys. She was worried that this wouldn't work out, that they wouldn't be able to leave this group without dying first.

"Joe don't wanna stop." Beth's eyes watered at the words. She was so tired, and she hurt so much.

"I can't, Daryl."

"I'll carry ya as far as I hafta." Beth leaned into his shoulder as a few tears made tracks down her cheeks. She nodded.

Daryl turned his crossbow around on his chest and squatted for Beth to hop onto his back. She climbed on, looping her strong arm around his chest, and letting her injured arm rest on his shoulder. She buried her face into the crook of his neck as she cried a little more.

Daryl could feel the hot tears soaking into the collar of his shirt, but he didn't say anything. He understood how Beth was feeling, but he wasn't sure how to get her to make her feel safe with him and this band of marauders. Joe turned back around when he saw that the two were coming, but he walked slower to keep tabs on what they were saying.

"Did I ever tell ya how I got started huntin' with a crossbow?" Daryl softly asked Beth. He felt her shake her head into his neck. "I told ya that huntin' was somethin' that we had to do. It wasn't a vacation and it wasn't fun, but me and Merle were expected to go with my old man when he got it in his head to shoot us up a meal. He'd always had all these guns around the house, and he'd bring 'em all with him when we went out for a week.

"One time though, when I was about fifteen, and scrawny as shit, and Merle was doin' his first stint in prison, dad decided that he wasn't gonna bring all the guns, but this new crossbow he won in a poker game. Dad was a shit shot with a gun as it was, 'cause he'd get lit and couldn't tell which squirrel was the real one and which was its double, and I'd typically be the one to actually kill the poor animal that we were gonna eat that night. Anyway, dad was a horrible shot. He tossed the bow on the ground before unloading it, and an arrow went flyin' right at my head. We were plannin' on bein' out there for a week, and a' course he didn't bring other food with him. So there I was, no more than a hundred and thirty soakin' wet, left to try to shoot dinner with a fuckin' crossbow."

"Did you catch anything?"

"Not that time. I caught some fish with a line I found in the cabin, but nothin' with the bow. When we got back home I decided I didn't want to be in that situation again, so I started goin' to a target range and huntin' on my own. That was the last time I went huntin' with my dad."

It wasn't' a good story, but Beth softly smiled into Daryl's shoulder because he was opening up about something in his past. She realized he was trying to make her comfortable, and she appreciated it. She was still hesitant about the men around them, but clutching onto Daryl's back she knew that he would protect her as much as he was able.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Lies**

* * *

 

Bound at every limb by my shackles of fear  
Sealed with lies through so many tears  
Lost from within, pursuing the end  
I fight for the chance to be lied to again

You will never be strong enough  
You will never be good enough  
You were never conceived in love  
You will not rise above

-Evanescence, Lies

* * *

 

They walked along the tracks side by side. Ahead of them were four of Joe's men, and behind them were Joe and Len, the guy with the bow. Beth limped along, and Daryl alternated carrying her and putting her arm around his shoulders to lessen the weight on her foot; not that there was much weight to lessen.

They listened to the men talk. Len went on and on about women he had claimed; most in the life before this one. Beth frowned, and Daryl watched her protectively. Len had also made a few comments directed toward Beth, but Beth had done her best to ignore the other man as much as she possibly could. Daryl had grunted and looked at her.

"Want me t'say somethin'?" Daryl asked her in hushed tones.

"No."

Beth had come to better understand the situation as they walked along. Daryl was playing his part to keep them alive, and to help them. If he fit in with this group, it was an allusion to his past. Beth knew that if he and Merle had survived together that this was the type of group Daryl would join. When she first met him, he was gruff and unfriendly. She remembered him keeping to himself, but she also remembered him trying to do right by the little girl. Sophia. Had Rick's group not accepted him, Daryl might have stayed gruff and unfriendly, and he might have joined this group in taking advantage of others.

She and Daryl had gone hunting that morning. Len had followed behind them, and claimed the rabbit they were planning on eating. Daryl was ready to fight him for it, but Beth pulled the rabbit from him and threw it at the other man. Len had called her a bitch, and Daryl had rushed at him, only to be stopped by Joe. He wouldn't tolerate fighting, and he had told Daryl that, and a couple other rules that they would need to follow to keep themselves in the group. Daryl understood that as 'to keep themselves alive'.

Beth felt uncomfortable around all of these men. She felt worse around Len, who leered at her with a predatory gaze. Since escaping the prison, she had felt the eyes of too many men on her, and only one which she didn't mind. She needed Daryl. She needed his protection, but she also needed his companionship. She wasn't sure if there were any other emotions connected to that feeling, but it wasn't like she had the time to explore them.

They had spent two days walking with this group, and two days tracking this man who had killed one of their men. The group was excited about a woman they thought was traveling with the guy, and they talked in depth of what they would do to her. The bigger guy, Dan, was the only one who didn't say anything. She didn't think it was because he was the only feminist of the group. The way he looked at her made it painfully obvious that he wasn't a feminist; there was an "otherness" about him that made Beth feel apprehensive of the larger man.

Luckily, Daryl didn't let her out of his sights; not for a single second. He had followed her into the tree line so she could take care of business. When he had to go, Beth was just grateful that he wasn't pissin' into the sink again.

It was one of those times where Beth and Daryl were out in the tree line. Beth had begged Daryl to let her go a few more feet downwind because some things weren't for men to know. Daryl reluctantly let her go, just as long as they were within shouting distance of one another. Daryl took the time to complete his own business, but he startled when he heard two sets of footsteps approaching; both were from the direction of camp, and neither were attempting to be quiet. Daryl moved back silently, towards Beth, but still within hearing distance of the two men.

"I just don't think they're together. You know."

"Yeah, I think he's just saying it to keep us away from her. He's acting like he claimed her, but he sure ain't usin' it." Billy and Len. He knew the two wanted Beth desperately. Hell, all the men wanted her desperately, but Billy and Len wanted her enough to cause him trouble.

"They go off every now and then—"

"You know for fuckin' sure that the motherfucker ain't gettin' off. He's too tense if he's getting laid, and she's too fuckin' 'innocent'. Damn, I'd like that 'innocence' for myself. I can just picture her ridin' my cock like a whore in heat. She'd be soakin' wet for me…" Len groaned in arousal. "Fuck. I don't care. I'm gonna claim her tonight. I'll take it to Joe. He'll have to give her to me, since that fuckin' prick lied about her bein' his. You can have seconds."

Beth slowly walked forward. If it weren't for a twig that snapped behind him, Daryl wouldn't have heard her approach. She looked at him with wide eyes. She stood beside him quietly, but grabbed hold of his hand and didn't let go. He looked at her with just as much worry until the two others walked away from them and back into the camp.

"What are we gonna do?" Beth whispered, her voice was tight.

Daryl had an idea, but he wasn't sure that it would work. He wasn't sure if the others would see through it or not.

"Bite your lips." He said.

"What?"

"Bite your lips. Long enough till they're red, and feel bruised. Shit. I wish we had alcohol. You licked your lips enough when you were drinkin' moonshine that it looked like you had been kissin' someone all night."

Beth finally understood. They'd make it look like they had a moment in the woods while they were alone. Daryl ran his hands through his hair mussing it up. Then he stuck a couple pieces of grass, dead leaves, and bark in his long hair, and shook it out. He then tried to flatten his hair in the back to make it look like he had been on the ground.

"Lemme see." He said, tilting Beth's face up to him. He nodded when he thought that her lips were bruised enough. "'kay, now ruffle up your clothes." He directed as he did the same. He scraped his nails against his lower back. Beth did the same down her sides, just in case they looked.

Daryl looked her over with a nod. "Just your hair's left." Beth nodded, took it down and gave it a similar treatment to Daryl's. She left a leaf in as she pulled her hair back into her traditional pony tail.

When she looked satisfactory, Daryl pulled her into a hug and rested his chin on top of her head. "Just keep close to me tonight."

Beth nodded into his chest. "If its fine with you, I'm gonna keep my hands on you."

"Where?" Beth asked, with a little hitch in her voice.

"Hips, thigh…" Daryl brushed his hand just under the elastic of her bra, "here. If that's okay."

Beth nodded. "Where should I touch you?"

Daryl picked her hand up and placed it on his neck, behind his ear. "Here. Maybe my chest and thigh too."

Daryl had to admit that he was a little nervous, the last time a woman had touched him, like Beth was going to be touching him, he had been so aroused. He coughed a little, and Beth dropped her hand. "I… uh… If I uh, you know." Daryl's cheeks turned a deep red, and Beth blushed as well. "I just want you to know I don't mean nothin' by it. I mean, not that you're not beautiful and I don't want… I mean. Fuck."

Daryl turned away and ran a hand over his face. "Shit. 'm sorry, Beth."

Beth walked behind him and hugged him from behind like she had the night at the cabin. "Daryl," she said softly. "I trust you. I know it happens, and I'm not going to get angry at you if you get turned on or something. Just… communicate with me. Until we get out of here. Until we're safe."

Daryl nodded, and he turned around into Beth's embrace. He hugged her tight, and ran his hand down her back a couple times before he let go. "You ready?"

"Not really. Can't we just run away?"

"They'd come after us, you know that."

Beth nodded, but grabbed his hand and motioned him to lead her back to camp. She held his hand until they came out of the tree line and back to the rest of the group. Except for Beth and Daryl's things, everyone else had packed up and looked ready to carry on. Beth ran her hand through her hair, exposing the leaf a little more. She felt the heat of Len's eyes on her body, and she looked up to him. He looked furious. 'Good,' she thought, 'maybe he'll realize I'm not his.'

* * *

 

They walked for several miles that day. They stopped in the early evening, and Joe mentioned that they were close to the man who killed Lou. The tracks were getting fresh. Beth was glad for the rest, but scared about running into the man the group was tracking. She didn't want the person to be killed, like Joe planned to do to him. She didn't want the woman to be raped. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she knew that she would have to try something.

"We'll ambush them tonight." Joe said.

"I claim the woman," Harley shouted.

"You can only claim when it's in sight, you sonofabitch." Tony said.

Beth leaned into Daryl and placed a hand on his thigh. His hand rested on the opposite side, just underneath her breast. She could feel his fingers move gently against her ribs. She gave a small smile, and copied his movements against the inside of his leg.

She heard gravel crunch behind them, and seconds later a man dragged her by her pony tail until she stood in his arms. She screamed. Daryl had followed her up less than a second later.

"I claim this bitch. I've waited long enough." Tears were streaming down Beth's cheeks. The pain from being dragged by her hair was too intense for Beth to keep calm as Len dragged her backwards towards the tree line. He held a knife up to Beth's throat.

Daryl readied his crossbow, and gave Len a murderous look. "Let her go. Beth's mine." He was furious that this was once again an issue for Beth. Beth kept completely still, except for the slight shake of her shoulders.

"Now just a minute, Len." Joe said, walking towards Len with his hands up. "You know that she belongs to Daryl." None of the men in the group had ever used Beth's name, preferring to call her by generalities and degrading insults.

"She sure don't. They ain't together. He's never fucked her, and if he isn't going to do it, the rest of us deserve to give her a good fucking."

"They looked like they were pretty well fucked this morning," Tony said with a chuckle. At least one of them had bought it. Maybe more, judging by the nods of the other men.

"See. He fucked her this morning. Or maybe she fucked him. The point is, she's Daryl's, and you need to respect that. You need to follow our rules. Let her go. Tony, Dan, Harley… teach Len his lesson. And don't stop."

Beth was shocked when Len let her go and when Dan shoved her to the ground. Daryl picked her up and moved her away. Joe walked up to the two of them. "Your acting may have convinced the others," he said in a harsh whisper, "but you'll need to do a better job to convince me. Don't lie to me, Daryl. I don't like liars."

Joe walked away as Daryl pulled Beth close, and he turned her away from the brutal scene before them. He was sure that even if he did have sex with her, Joe would find a reason to kill him like he killed Len.

* * *

**Chapter 9: The Wire**

* * *

 

Well, I try to keep myself together after all the opportunities  
Try to stay true to you and try to do what you wanted from me  
And I give it all away just to hear you say that  
Well, I know, I know, I know, I know that you're gonna be okay anyway.

-Haim, The Wire

* * *

 

Rick Grimes sat with his back against the truck, and bloody hands at his knees. His face was red with drying blood. Beth Greene sat beside him with a faraway look in her eyes. Her head was tilted to ther side, her shoulders were relaxed, and her arms were covered in blood up to her elbows. She gazed off the bank of the road to a spot just beyond the trees where Daryl was piling bodies and dousing them in precious gasoline. She didn't see him. She didn't see Rick. Rick didn't see her.

* * *

 

Billy drug Len's body away from the tracks. He slid the end of his knife into Len's head, and began to rummage through Len's pockets. "Claim." He said several times as he found items he wanted. No one else bothered claiming any of his possessions.

Joe stood a few feet ahead of them, one hand on his hip, and the other on his gun. "We're gonna get moving." He said, and he began walking north along the tracks. "Not far now. All ya'll get your weapons ready."

Daryl and Beth hung back. They followed after everyone. Joe wouldn't like it, but they had to leave. If the group was occupied with the man who killed Lou, they could make a clean break and leave.

* * *

 

Daryl sat down beside Rick and passed him a wet rag. "Save it for drinking."

"You can't see you, but he can."

He grabbed another rag for Beth to use to wash her arms. She didn't protest. Daryl reached across Rick and rubbed at a couple spots that had hit her face. She flinched at first, but relaxed when she remembered that it was Daryl, and that Daryl wasn't going to hurt her.

"Where are they?" Beth asked. Her voice was weak and cracked as she spoke.

"In the truck. Michonne has him. They're alright." She nodded.

"And the others."

"Burnin' in the woods." Beth and Rick nodded.

"How did you meet up with the likes of them?" Rick asked. His voice was gruff, and full of apprehension; had they joined out of camaraderie?

"There wasn't a choice." Beth said softly. "He did it to save us. He did it to protect me."

"They had us surrounded. If I hadn't joined 'em, they'd a'killed me and raped her. I didn't know it was you they was trackin' and I didn't know that they would do… that…"

"It's not your fault."

Daryl grunted and shook his head and Rick rubbed more water on his face and neck. "Daryl, I trust you, and I know you did what you had to do to survive. You kept the both of you safe, and when it came down to the wire, you kept us safe too." He clapped his hand onto Daryl's shoulder. "You're my brother. You saved us. Thank you."

* * *

There was a low fire in the distance, and Joe signaled for everyone to hold up, and be quiet. It was the group they were looking for. Daryl had a pretty good idea who it was that they had been following the last few days. He had motioned to Beth shoe prints in the mud to the side of the tracks. He wasn't absolutely certain, but there was reason to believe that they were tracking Rick.

"I'd know those boots anywhere." Daryl said in a whisper to Beth, "Do you see how worn they are? And there's a hole… here." He pointed at a place where mud had seeped up inside the boot. "And the smaller shoes… heels dragged like that. That's Carl's stride."

"And the woman they keep talkin' about?" Beth whispered back.

Daryl shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe she walked up on the rail here."

"Could it be Carol? Maggie?"

"I don't know, Beth. I hope it's one of our own."

"We can't leave, can we?"

Daryl shook his head. "Not with them plannin' on killin' Rick. I'd die 'fore I let that happen."

Beth knew he would, too. She had to be prepared to take care of Daryl for him, if it came to that. She really thought it might come to that. "Gimme the gun."

She reached her hand out to Daryl, and opened her hand to take the gun from him. He gave her a look that said he wasn't sure if she was ready for that.

"Listen, you're gonna defend Rick, and I'm gonna take care of you. The others too if I have to do it. And if they come for me? Daryl. I have to be able to protect myself."

Daryl nodded and he handed over the gun. "Protect your shoulder. You're gonna have a hard time shootin' if it comes to it. Use the knife if you can. Keep back. Don't let them get you."

He put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her in close. "If it comes down to it, don't hesitate. Do what you have to do to keep yourself alive."

Beth nodded. "Same to you."

Joe looked back at that instant and glared at Daryl and Beth. They parted and began walking towards the campsite.

* * *

 

Beth cracked open the car door and climbed into the back beside Michonne and Carl. Carl looked so small with his head on the woman's lap. Beth felt just as small.

Michonne carded her hands through Carl's hair, but she looked up when Beth came in. Without a spoken word, Michonne opened her arms and invited the other woman in.

Beth sniffed and curled into Michonne just as Carl had done. His tears had slowed, but Beth started the process again. Michonne rubbed her shoulder and let her cry into her shirt.

"Sorry." Beth said, wiping her hand under her nose after she cried herself out.

"No need to apologize, Beth." Michonne said. "Sometimes the things you need most in the world is a shoulder to cry on, and someone to call your friend."

Beth nodded. What she needed most was her mother, or her father. Michonne was the best she had.

"Are you all right?" Beth wiped her face and looked up at Michonne.

"I'm fine. You and Daryl made sure of that."

"They didn't…"

"No. Carl got the worst of it, and Rick stopped it before it got too far. I wish he hadn't seen his daddy rip that man's throat out, but I sure wish a lot of things. I'm proud of you. You did what you had to do to survive, and to save us."

"I never killed a person before." Beth said.

* * *

 

Dan laughed as he pulled Carl out of the truck. Beth stood in the shadows with her hand over her mouth. His hand fisted in the boy's hair, and he pushed Carl into Rick's line of sight. She knew, now, why Dan scared her. She knew now why he never talked about what he would do to the woman. Michonne. His desires focused on the young: children, boys and girls. Beth had been lucky enough to have been just a little too old for the fat, balding man.

Dan shoved Carl into the ground, but Rick wasn't able to save him. Daryl was being attacked by Harley and Billy, and Tony was guarding Michonne. Beth was the only one free, but she knew that they would notice her absence soon. Joe was shouting at Rick, and encouraging Dan to take Carl.

The explosion from the gun shocked her, but she was pleased to see that Dan slumped forward, and that Carl could climb out from under him. Rick took Joe's distraction as an opportunity to rip the other man's neck out with his teeth. Beth rushed to Daryl to save him from Billy and Harley.

* * *

 

Daryl climbed up into the passenger seat and turned to look at the three in back. He had a black eye and a split lip, and Beth knew that he had to be hurting pretty badly. He had gotten kicked in the head, and in the ribs several times. Beth had gotten to him as soon as she could, but it wasn't quick enough for him to have not been injured at all.

"How're ya'll doin'?" Beth and Michonne nodded that they were okay. Daryl's eyes lingered on Beth, but when she looked at him, he turned to look at Carl. Carl stared blankly at him.

"You'll get through it, bud. Trust me. It'll be okay."

Rick climbed in to the driver's seat and sighed. "We need to make a plan. It'll be mid-day soon. That'll give us time to get somewhere safe before nightfall."

"We aren't far from Terminus." Michonne said.

"No." Beth said immediately.

"No?" Rick turned to ask her. He wanted to know why she was so opposed to the idea of Terminus.

"No." She shook her head. "Yes, I know that they'll be better protected, and that they'll probably have enough food for everyone, but I can't…" She sighed, "We've been forced to trust too many other people. All I want to do is find Maggie and Glenn, and Judith, and I don't want to… I don't want to go through that again."

Tears welled up in her eyes again, and Daryl reached out to her. "What happened to knowing that there were still good people in the world, Beth?" He asked her softly. He wasn't accusatory, or judgmental, but Beth's lack of faith concerned him.

"There probably are still good people. I don't want to go into this blindly, and I don't want us to be hurt again."

Daryl nodded, and looked at Rick. "I agree with Beth."

"And if our people are there?" Rick asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

* * *

**Chapter 10: Life's for the Living**

* * *

 Till then I'll make my bed from a disused car  
With a mattress of leaves and a blanket of stars  
And I'll stitch the words into my heart with a needle and thread  
Don't you cry for the lost  
Smile for the living  
Get what you need and give what you're given  
You know life's for the living so live it  
Or you're better off dead

-Passenger, Life's For the Living

* * *

 

The night air was cool against their skin, but the fire they had built was warm enough that the felt comfortable as they sat around it. It wasn't a large fire, but it was bright enough to shed light around them, and to warn them of encroaching danger.

Daryl hunted up enough food for them to eat that night, and Michonne, Carl, and Beth had collected some berries for them to eat for desert. While the nights were getting colder, the wild fruits were ripe for picking. Rick was quiet for most of the day, but Beth could see the cogs in his brain working. She knew that he would approach her about heading towards Terminus before long. She knew that with the winter coming on that Rick would want to find someplace to settle, and they currently had nothing to fortify themselves, and nowhere to go.

She was hesitant, however, about large enclaves of people. In fact, she was hesitant in that moment of any person she didn't know, and hadn't known for some time. It was a major change in Beth's disposition, but after she and Daryl met two groups of people who wanted nothing more than to kidnap her or claim her, it was a change that she felt she needed to make to stay alive for more than just another day. She needed safety, and she needed security. The only security she currently had was Daryl Dixon, Rick and Carl Grimes, and Michonne. The security she wanted was that of her father, who was dead, and her sister, who was missing. She would take the security she had if it meant never belong to a marauding group again.

She looked over at Daryl in the fading light of the campfire. His cheekbones cast shadows to the hollows of his cheeks, making him appear gaunter than he was. Stubble was starting to grow back on his sunken cheeks, with flecks of gray beginning to appear closer together. He looked up and caught her eye, and the corners of his mouth twisted into a small smirk only she saw.

Carl's head was on Rick's lap, and the older man carded his fingers through his son's long hair. Michonne was sitting next to him, twisting the roots of her dreads, making them tighter and appear well kept. Daryl walked over and offered Beth a bottle of water and a wash cloth.

"How's the shoulder?" It had been their routine for a few days now. Daryl would let her clean the wound and he'd bandage it for her with a clean wash cloth.

"It's starting to look a little infected." Beth said, biting her lip.

"What happened?" Michonne asked.

"Got shot." Daryl answered leaning into Beth for a closer look. He frowned when he saw that not only was the wound pink, but it was also starting to look a little puffy.

"If it's infected, birch sap can help." Rick offered, looking up at the two.

"How'd you get shot?" Michonne asked in shock.

"Birch sap?" Beth asked, pulling her sleeve back over her shoulder, deciding to wait a few minutes to change the dressing. "Before we met up with Joe's gang, I was almost kidnapped, but got shot instead. Daryl saved me."

Rick and Michonne looked at each other and turned to look at Beth. "Neither of you thought to mention this? What if they're looking for you?"

"Daryl took care of them." Beth said quietly. "Why will birch sap help?"

Rick respected her right to leave the story there, but he would follow up with Daryl later. He needed to make sure the people that attempted to kidnap Beth weren't a threat. "It's an antiseptic. It'll stop infections."

"I'll go find a birch tree." Daryl said, picking up his crossbow and hoisting it onto his shoulder.

"I'll go with you. Carry the flashlight." Daryl wanted to protest, but nodded in agreement when he saw that Beth wasn't going to back down.

"These woods should be full of 'em." Rick said. "Saw plenty throughout the hike."

* * *

They walked silently through the woods, each step slow and deliberate. They wanted to be sure that they could hear any creature, living or dead, move around them. Beth had become better adept at moving silently through the forest. Each step was cautiously placed behind Daryl's; noting each twig that was dry enough to crack, and the leaves that were likely to crunch.

He hadn't heard anything move. Not a whisper was out of place, and he was thankful for the churr of the cicadas that only went silent as they passed. They would alert him of other movement in the forest. He had noticed that when there were walkers about, sometimes the forest would warn him by going silent, as if it understood the unnaturalness of the dead rising up and walking.

"Daryl," Beth whispered, moving closer into step with him. He turned his head to look at her and then he checked their surroundings. Everything appeared fine. It must be the dark cloak of the night that caused her to speak softly, as if she were afraid to shatter the peace around them.

"y'alright?" He asked. He stopped walking and took Beth in. Her arms were wrapped around herself in a gentle hug, and her teeth caught her lip. After their time with Joe and his group, Beth realized how tactile she was, and how much she needed to be touched. When she was with her father and sister, she was hugged and touched frequently. Daryl was getting used to touching her. He wasn't typically tactile, but he was learning to be with Beth. She needed it, and he realized that he needed it as well.

She wanted to tell him that she was afraid of him pulling away now that they were back with Rick, Carl, and Michonne. She was also afraid that they would never get back the connection they had felt back at the funeral home before she was kidnapped.

Daryl could see that she was worried about something, and the only thing he could do was pull her close. "We're gonna be all right, Beth." He held her for a long while, and he rubbed her back soothingly.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" Beth asked from under his chin.

"Mm?"

"Back at the cabin… 'djoo mean ta kiss me?" Daryl chuckled.

"Guess we ain't had time to talk about it, huh?" Beth shook her head. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"You, uh, are you ever gonna do it again?"

"Mm, might do. If it's okay with you." Daryl didn't make a move to claim her mouth, but his hands gripped her arms tighter.

"It's okay with me." Daryl smiled and rested his chin on top of Beth's head. He was content holding her for right now.

"That what you were worried about?"

"Not really, but it was somethin' I was thinkin'." Daryl pulled back a little and looked at her face.

"What were you worryin' about?"

"That Rick's gonna make us go to Terminus. I know why. We aren't ready for winter, and it'll come fast. Without the prison stores, it's gonna be like that first winter again. We won't be able to survive. It's just that…" She took a deep breath and looked into Daryl's eyes, "I'm scared."

"Why are you scared?"

"The last two times we met anyone else… I nearly got raped. Carl nearly got raped. You and Rick and Michonne nearly got killed. What if this group isn't good? What if they're not like us?"

Daryl hugged her close again. "We wouldn't go into it blindly. They've got a set-up. Set-ups mean that we can see them before they see us. I wouldn't go into this without checkin' 'em out first. And if they ain't good, then we go with them none-the-wiser."

"We won't go in if they don't look good?"

"'course not." Beth nodded and sunk back into Daryl's arms with a huge weight off her shoulders.

"Let's look for that birch tree, hm?" Daryl said, giving her a little tighter squeeze before releasing her and pulling away.

* * *

They found a birch tree soon enough, and made their way back to the fire. Beth was content with Daryl's answers to her questions, and she was happy to know that the kiss they had shared was not a single moment that would be lost as time passed. The single question that remained was  _when_  he would kiss her again. Beth wondered if she would have to be the one to kiss him when the time came.

The birch sap had felt cool on her heated flesh, and Daryl noted that they both should keep an eye on her wound to fight off infection.

Carl had moved away from his father's lap, and he was finally eating something. Michonne encouraged Carl to eat the food the rest had put aside for the young man. As he picked at the skinny squirrel Daryl had killed and cooked, he sat deep in contemplation. His mind was working on something that Daryl had said back in the car right after the Claimers had attacked.

"What did you mean to trust you?" He asked, the first words out of his mouth since the night before. "Back at the car, you said I'd get through it and to trust you. Why should I trust you?"

"Carl." Rick warned. "Daryl is our friend, our family. We trust him because he's our family. Don't take that tone."

Carl ignored Rick and focused his eyes on Daryl. "What did you mean?" He demanded the hunter to tell him.

"Carl-"

"Rick, it's okay." Daryl put a hand on his brother's arm and sighed. "You're angry. Good. Get fuckin' angry. Get really fuckin' angry because what that fucker did to you wasn't somethin' that's okay."

Beth could see Daryl's hackles rising, and she could see the anger rising off of him like they rose off of Carl. Both of the men were angry. She understood Carl's anger, but was confused by Daryl's anger.

"Daryl, what—" She reached out toward him.

"Don't. Carl, that guy was fucked up. There are men is this world that are fucked up and they'll always be fucked up. It ain't on you."

"Daryl?" Rick questioned, recognizing something in the younger man that he had experienced a few times in his life before as he worked as a cop. Suddenly, Daryl's life made just a little bit more sense, and Rick could do nothing but admire the man that stood before them today.

"It happened to you too?" Carl asked.

Daryl nodded, his bluster deflated immediately. "Yeah."

* * *

**Chapter 11: Cold Desert**

* * *

I never ever cried when I was feeling down  
I've always been scared of the sound  
Jesus don't love me, no one ever carried my load  
I'm too young to feel this old

Here's to you, here's to me  
On to us, nobody knows  
Nobody sees, nobody but me

-Kings of Leon, Cold Desert

* * *

" _It happened to you too?" Carl asked._

_Daryl nodded, his bluster deflated immediately. "Yeah."_

Everyone was quiet, until Rick croaked Daryl's name. Rick stood and crossed to Daryl, his hand out to grab the other man's shoulder and offer him some comfort. Daryl swatted Rick's hand away and turned his shoulder so the other man couldn't touch him. He took a step away from the Deputy Sheriff, and he began to get angry again. The dynamite that was Daryl Dixon was lit. It had dampened, but until it exploded the fire wouldn't go out.

"I don't need ya' pity. Carl sure as hell don't need ya' pity either!" Daryl's thick Appalachian accent sounded thicker as he yelled.

"Daryl, I wouldn't-" Rick's hands came up in front of him, surrendering to Daryl.

"Just shut the fuck up, old man. You don't understand nothin'." Daryl's arm swung at the air; a right hook into the face of a demon no one else could see.

"Help me understand. Help me help Carl understand."

The young man watched his dad and Daryl with wide eyes. Beth's eyes were concerned as she looked between the two quarreling men and the teen who had incited Daryl's anger. She could see that Carl was getting agitated; he had picked up a stick and was stabbing it into the ground again and again. She wondered if she was seeing Dan's face as he thrust into the earth.

"What can I do for him?" Rick asked, bringing Daryl's focus back to the hurting young man. "What can we do for him?"

Daryl shrugged and ducked his head; he was closer to being diffused than explosive at that moment, "Just listen to 'im if that's what he wants. Whatever he's feelin' is what he's gonna feel. Let 'im be angry, or scared, or quiet. Just fuckin' be there for him."

Rick nodded, and he backed away from Daryl who grabbed his crossbow and headed away from the fire. Rick caught Beth's eyes, and she nodded, knowing she should follow Daryl. She grabbed her knife and walked just a little ways behind him.

"I ain't gonna talk about it, Princess." Daryl said quietly as he stopped about one hundred yards from the camp.

"I wasn't going to ask." Beth said, just as quietly, coming up behind him and putting her arms around his waist. Daryl flinched, but when she didn't let go, he relaxed into her touch.

"Good." He stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before he put down his crossbow and turned around to face Beth and pull her into his arms as well. "Did Rick send ya to follow me and make sure I wasn't gonna off myself?"

"No." She said quickly. "Well, I mean, I would have followed you anyway, but I think it was what you said. He needed to be there for Carl, but someone also needed to be there for you."

Daryl grunted in appreciation, but said nothing more. He stood like that for a few minutes before he let his arms drop. He moved away from Beth to sit down at the trunk of a tree. Though they barely had any light to see, Daryl picked up a stick and began to peel the leaves and twigs from it. Beth sat next to him and watched his hands move.

She handed him her knife when he asked for it. He began to carve a point at the end of the stick.

"My dad was an asshole when I was growing up. He'd get drunk and knock the shit out of my mom, and after she died he took it out on me. Merle was mostly safe, but he was mostly in Juvie so my dad really didn't know where he was at any given time. We lived way up in the mountains, and social services was s'posed to come check on us once a month, but I think it was too much of a hassle for them to get there, so they only came by every six or seven months. Sometimes we didn't see them for a year, which was better than my dad gettin' pissed and takin' it out on me because somethin' wasn't right."

Beth listened quietly as Daryl began to pour his biggest secret out to her. His eyes focused on the stick and the movement of his hands. He didn't turn to check Beth's expression. He didn't want to see pity in her face. He didn't think he could deal with her pitying him. His voice was quiet, as he confessed into the dark night.

Beth wanted to reach out and touch him. She wanted to hold his hand and comfort him, but she knew that he would be more upset if she invaded his space in this moment. She held her hands clasped in her lap; her fingers worried the loose thread on the hem of her shirt. She bit her lip as she watched him trim down the stick and balance it. It seemed like he was making an arrow. She didn't know if she could make a stick work like an arrow, but knowing Daryl Dixon, she was certain that he could make it work.

"Merle was in Juvie again because he had gotten into a fight at school and punched the principal. He was fifteen, and had just started at the high school that year. I was six and was supposed to be in first grade, but my dad was too drunk to start on time, so the social worker kept callin' and callin' to get my dad to start me in school. He'd get angry and take it out on me that they kept callin', and then he'd have his buddies over for poker and shootin' out in the back yard. One of his friends was the one that done it. He was over every night for a month, and when Merle got out and found out he laid into the guy pretty quick. Merle was a good fighter even when he was young. It really fucked him up though, and he wasn't really the same after. He started gettin' into heavy drugs, and he went into the military when he was eighteen. He was in 'til I was in high school."

He finally looked up and over at Beth, as if he just realized that she was there. Beth couldn't see the blue of his eye in the black night, but she still felt an electrical jolt as his eyes peered into hers. "You're the only person I've ever told that. Merle and I talked about it a little after I grew up, but mainly he just teased me about bein' sweet."

"Thank you for tellin' me." Beth said. Her voice was thick. Neither were crying, but Beth sure felt like it. She had no idea how anyone could do that to a child. She admired Daryl even more for the strength that he had to make it to the end of the world. She knew he'd be the last man standing when everyone else was gone, and she knew he'd keep on surviving even after that.

"Shit. Don't go cryin' on me, Beth." Daryl said when he heard how thick her voice was when she spoke.

"I ain't!" She protested as she rubbed her cheeks. "I ain't cryin'. I just…" she drifted off for half a second as she looked at the man in front of her. "I just think that you're the strongest person I've ever met, and I'm glad I'm here with you."

Daryl ducked his head and gently shoved Beth's good shoulder, "Shut up."

"No, I mean it!" Beth smiled, shoving him back. "You're strong, both physically and emotionally. And you're smart in a way that matters now. And you're handsome." She said the last compliment with a softer voice. She had turned her head away from Daryl, and she was thankful for the cover of the night as she felt her face flush.

She didn't expect the feel of rough fingers under her chin, forcing her to face the man beside her. "Beth," he asked, "can I kiss you?"

She nodded and there he was, a hairbreadth away from her lips. His eyes closed as he closed the distance between them and placed a dry kiss to her lips. Her eyes fluttered shut, and her hand went and found a place under his jaw. Like the first kiss they shared days ago, it wasn't a magical moment. Daryl was too quick to kiss and pull away, afraid of being in someone's intimate zone for too long.

He pulled away and Beth protested with a groan. She wanted more than that. She wanted the real deal, she wanted passion and fireworks, and she knew that Daryl could do that if he would just kiss her. She pulled him back to her lips with the hand along his jaw and relaxed her lips against his. She licked his bottom lip lightly to get him to part them and relax into the kiss as well.

The moment Daryl relaxed Beth could feel it. His lips became pliant against hers. She kissed him softly at first, but soon it was all she could do to refrain from pulling him closer to her. Without breaking their connection, Beth scooted closer to him so she could wrap her good arm around his neck. The proximity brought comfort, and with comfort came a better kiss.

Saliva began to build between them, and the kiss became wet, and open mouthed. Daryl brushed his tongue against Beth's teeth, and she opened up for him willingly. The moment the tip of his tongue touched hers she felt the fireworks she was waiting for; throughout her body, her nerves felt like they were on fire. She could feel the kiss from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, and she sighed happily into his mouth. Daryl put one hand on her hip, and the other hand's fingers snaked their way through the hair tied up on the top of her head. He pulled her closer, though there was no way she could get any closer.

It wasn't long before Daryl laid her back on the grass and covered her with his body. They didn't stop kissing, and his fingers didn't stop touching. The hand she was able to use explored Daryl's face and neck. She felt the pressure increase as her fingers ghosted along a certain spot in his neck. She was eager to see how he would react if it were her mouth there, instead of her fingers. She was eager to be closer to Daryl.

In the distance, footsteps crunched over dead leaves and dry twigs. Daryl's head shot up, breaking his connection with Beth. He stayed still, listening.

"Beth?" A soft feminine whisper called out, "Daryl?"

Michonne had come in search for them. Daryl groaned and dropped his head to Beth's uninjured shoulder. Beth giggled softly and brushed her fingers through his hair.

"We're being summoned." She said softly. Daryl placed one last soft kiss onto her lips and pushed himself off of her.

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Long Road**

* * *

 

We all walk the long road. Cannot stay.  
There's no need to say goodbye.

All the friends and family.  
All the memories going round, round, round, round.  
I have wished for so long. How I wish for you today.

-Pearl Jam, The Long Road

* * *

 

Michonne had called Beth and Daryl back from the woods, and while she knew that they were close to each other, she wasn't sure until that moment that she knew just how close the two were. Beth came to her first. Her lips were swollen and tendrils of hair were falling out of her pony tail and onto her shoulder. Dirt clung to her back. Daryl was in a similar state. His hair stuck up at odd angles, and he kept licking his tender lips. Michonne frowned as she looked them over.

"Want me to give you a minute to straighten up?"

Michonne continued to look between Beth and Daryl, trying to decipher how long they had been together. Beth could see her analyzing their interactions as long as she knew them. She blushed but nodded. They would need a minute before they went back to Rick and Carl.

"Hurry up. There's something you need to see."

"She's perceptive." Beth whispered as Daryl helped brush the bark off of her back and fix her hair. She turned and helped him flatten his hair. Daryl agreed with Beth's observation of Michonne, but he wasn't sure how it would affect the group dynamic. He wondered what Rick would think, but he also realized that it wasn't really any of Rick's business. If Rick had something to say about it, they would have a conversation then.

He also considered that since Michonne knew, the conversation would happen sooner, rather than later.

They finished straightening up, and when it looked like nothing had happened between the two (besides bruised lips) they walked quickly back to the campsite. They approached cautiously, even though Michonne had been the one to get them. With the surprises they had faced over the last few days, they weren't sure they were ready for more.

It was between steps that they heard the voices. A silvery voice spoke in light, pleasant tones that instantly made Beth and Daryl look at one another.

"I saw the campfire from the road, and I thought maybe, just maybe, Maggie might be here."

Beth ran from where she and Daryl were standing to the person who spoke. She didn't notice the four guns that were lifted out of holsters and pockets as she ran into the arms of her brother-in-law. Daryl worried that her lack of awareness would get her killed some day. He vowed to keep training her until he was sure she could survive on her own.

"Glenn!" She cried out as she hugged him tightly.

"Beth!" He said in shock. "Beth! You're here! You're alive!"

Beth pulled back slightly and looked at him a little sadly, but she nodded. She was glad to see him. She was hurt that he hadn't thought that she would make it out alive, but she was glad she had. She was glad she had escaped with possibly the one person who could keep her alive.

Daryl had stepped out of their hiding spot, and the four holding guns turned towards him. Rick ordered them to put their guns away. Daryl, however, didn't lower his crossbow. The muscular, redheaded man kept his gun trained on Daryl, while the other three lowered their weapons.

"Who's this?" Daryl asked, eyeing the four people he didn't know.

"Nice to see you too, Dixon." Glenn said with a smile. Daryl chanced a glance behind him and he nodded hello.

"Daryl," Rick said, "this is the group Glenn's been traveling with the last few days. They've said they've seen signs from Maggie headed this way."

"Maggie?" Beth asked, her eyes wide. She turned to Glenn hoping this was the truth.

"Yeah, she's left signs saying to meet her in Terminus. That's where we were headed when we saw the light from the campfire. Daryl, this is Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, and Tara. They're helping me get to Terminus to find Maggie."

Daryl lowered his crossbow, and his eyes sought Beth's. Her eyes lowered, but she nodded, accepting that this was going to be their fate. She really didn't want to go to Terminus, but if Maggie was there, she had to find her sister.

"Welcome back, Donger." He grunted as he smiled at Glenn and clapped him on the shoulder. He passed Beth and Glenn to stand beside Rick, Carl, and Michonne.

"Long Duk Dong was Japanese. I'm Korean." Glenn smiled as he tucked his sister-in-law into his side.

* * *

They came up with a plan throughout the night. They would move early in the morning and try to catch up with Maggie, hopefully before she reached Terminus. Daryl seemed distrusting of the new comers, as did Beth, Carl, and Michonne. Michonne kept staring at the young, white woman as if she had seen her before.

Michonne's fixation made Beth nervous. She didn't know how Michonne knew Tara, but it seemed like she did. She decided to keep an eye on Michonne, just in case Tara posed a threat. If there was something that the group needed to know, she was certain that Michonne would let them know.

When Daryl wasn't conferring with Rick, Glenn, Michonne, and Abraham, he sat on his own away from the group. Beth had noticed over the time that she had known him that whenever someone new came into his space, he would retreat until he felt comfortable with the other person. Sometimes it would take him weeks to feel comfortable around someone else, but in other instances he would warm up quickly. He became accustomed to Zach's presence quickly, but he treated the other Woodberry residents who came to the prison with cool detachment.

Daryl had decided that he wanted to observe the other four from a distance. He had noticed Beth watching Michonne and the brunette, Tara, carefully. He was certain that something was up, and Daryl knew he needed to figure it out before something happened to his family.

He was creating more bolts when he noticed a small figure sit next to him in the dark. He turned to the teenager and nodded. Carl was quiet, but he picked up a piece of wood and mimicked what Daryl was doing. Daryl watched for a couple of minutes and gave the young man some pointers on how to make a better bolt.

"Do you see that knot there?" He pointed to a knot in the wood where another branch would have grown. "If you leave it, it will create an imbalance in the bolt, causing it to spin when you're tryin' to kill somethin'. You wanna even it up as much as possible."

"Will you teach me how to shoot your crossbow?" Carl asked.

Daryl shrugged, "Maybe. Beth's gotta get better at it first." Beth heard her name and she turned around to give the man a smile.

Carl looked at Beth and back at Daryl, "Beth's learning? She's hurt though."

"Yeah. She got hurt while trackin' a walker. She stepped in a bear trap, and it hurt her foot. After that we holed up a couple days and when we were tryin' to escape some walkers that ambushed us she got shot. She had a bad couple days there, but she stuck it through."

Carl nodded sagely at Daryl's commentary of their time together. It wasn't the full story, but Daryl didn't think Carl needed to know everything to figure out how she got hurt.

"Like we're gonna stick it through, right?" Carl looked up to Daryl. He needed confirmation that the other man who had faced something similar was going to be able to get through this with him.

"Yeah, buddy." Daryl said, putting his bolt down and reaching out to clap Carl on the shoulder.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" Carl asked, slightly afraid of bringing the topic of Daryl's childhood up again. But when he told Rick that the only thing he should do is listen, he hoped that Daryl would follow his own advice.

"Yeah, but I get to not answer if it's somethin' I can't." Carl accepted that.

"Did he die?" Carl looked at Daryl with an intensity which surprised the older man.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah."

"Did you kill him?" Daryl shook his head.

"No." It was a simple answer to a question that Daryl didn't think he wanted to answer.

"Do you wish you would have killed him? Because I wish I killed that guy, and I know my dad doesn't want me to think that way. I know when he looks at me he sees a monster he doesn't know."

"You're not a monster." Daryl said, looking at him pointedly. "You're growin' up in a world your dad just don't get. Give 'em a break though. He's trying to do the best he can by you. And sometimes, I do wish I had killed him, if only to save someone else having to do it for me."

* * *

They packed up camp quickly the next morning and walked a short distance to the train tracks Glenn and the four others had left the night before. Immediately, Beth could see a map for Terminus with dried blood spelling out 'Glenn, go to Terminus. Maggie.'

"It was still wet yesterday." Glenn said, as walked to the sign to investigate. "At one point, she was with Sasha and Bob, but she stopped writing their names with hers. I don't know what that means."

"Let's get to walkin'. Maybe she stopped somewhere for the night and we're not too far behind." Rick naturally took charge, even though Abraham seemed keen to lead them to Terminus as well. Daryl could tell that Abraham wasn't afraid to speak his mind, and though he seemed willing to help them get to Terminus, his ultimate goal was to head to Washington D.C. with Eugene in tow.

Daryl scoffed at the man with the mullet. He didn't really look smart enough to know what this disease was, but the man seemed adamant that he did. Daryl could tell that Abraham and Rosita were dedicated to Eugene's cause, but Tara was another entity entirely. She seemed close with Glenn, but as close to the other three. He turned to look at Michonne who was walking next to him, and she seemed less concerned about the young woman that day than she did the night before.

Her arm rested around Carl's shoulder, and the two were quietly playing a word game that involved rhyming cities. It had devolved to naming a city and finding a word that rhymed with it for Carl's participation. Daryl's favorite was when Carl rhymed Macon, Georgia with Bacon. It was simplistic, but the way the teenager licked his lips at the thought of bacon made Daryl smirk. The fact that they were headed toward Macon made Michonne argue that he didn't deserve a point for that rhyme.

Beth was walking in front with Glenn. Glenn was talking to her about his journey to this point with the other people. Occasionally she would look back and catch Daryl's eye and give him a small smile. She seemed happy that her brother-in-law was with her, but still hurt that he hadn't thought she could make it. Daryl didn't want to take away from her time with her family, but he did secretly want her next to him.

Beth listened as Glenn described the tunnel he and Tara had to be saved from by Eugene, Abraham, and Rosita. He said that he thought he would find Maggie in there, but by the time they made it through, she was nowhere to be found. He told her about how he had found Tara just after leaving the prison, and how they had been picked up by the three others. When she asked why Michonne seemed to know her, Glenn shot a look back to older woman, and he shook his head.

By noon, the group made it less than a mile away from Terminus.

Rick ushered them into the woods and gathered everyone close to tell them the plan.

"I've been thinking about it, and I don't think that we should all go in at once. We're going to observe them today, and if it's safe, we'll come get the rest of ya'll. If it's not safe, then at least we'll know the rest of you are safe."

Beth frowned at this news. She didn't like being split from her family, and everyone here, except the four who traveled with Glenn were her family.

"Daryl, Abraham, Rosita and I will go in, and the rest of you will stay here." Beth shot a panicked look to Daryl. His eyebrows creased, and his mouth formed a straight line, but he nodded in acceptance. "We're going to observe now, and we'll let you know what we see. We're going to move in within the next few hours."

"When will you come to get us if everything is okay?" Beth asked immediately.

"By dusk." Rick assured her.

Beth nodded, but moved towards Daryl and gave him a hug. "Make sure you're back by dusk." She whispered to him.

"I promise I'll always come back for you." He whispered back as he hugged her into his side.

* * *

**Chapter 13: Society**

* * *

It's a mystery to me  
We have agreed with which we have agreed  
You think you have to want more than you need  
Until you have it all you won't be free

Society, you're a crazy breed  
I hope you're not lonely without me.

-Eddie Vedder, Society

* * *

 

Dead leaves littered the ecotone where Daryl crouched. Blackberry bushes bore ripe fruit that hadn't been picked away by scavenging hands, and vined plants stretched between trees. Not more than two feet from Daryl was the fence that separated Terminus from the wild. The vast difference between the healthy forest and the concrete perimeter struck Daryl as odd. There was plenty of land, rich for planting, yet nothing green grew, save for some dying grass and dandelions. The fences seemed strong, and yet no one walked freely between the brick buildings and the fence.

Daryl looked to his left and sought Rick's eyes. The older man was further along the fence than Daryl, and his vantage point offered a different view of the compound. With the amount of buildings between one part of the compound and the other, it was impossible to see everything. They had been sitting in wait for nearly an hour, and they had seen nothing.

Daryl made the motion that they should round the others up and discuss observations they had seen. Rick assented. Daryl slowly walked towards Rick, and he kept an eye on the buildings to his right. Though he had seen nothing, it didn't mean that there would be nothing to see as they walked around the compound.

A few hours ago, there had been an argument between Michonne, Glenn, and Rick about who would be joining the two older men on this task. Rick had volunteered Abraham and Rosita for the two others on his team, without talking to those he considered family first.

Michonne wanted to come, as had Glenn, but Rick had told them that they would be staying back with the others. Glenn's protest was that he should be there if Maggie were there, and Michonne knew that she was a stronger fighter than Rosita.

"That's why I need you here." Rick rasped. "You're the best fighter we have, Michonne. If something happens to me and Daryl, I want you to be here to fight off whatever might come. And Glenn, if we don't come back, I trust you to find a way out of here without them seeing you."

They reluctantly accepted their positions with protests of not leaving Rick, Daryl, Abraham, and Rosita behind. Rick put a stop to their arguments with a simple statement: "If we aren't back by tomorrow morning, you leave. If everything is fine, we will be back by dusk."

Beth's whisper commanding him to come back made Daryl extremely cautious of any situation that they might get into out here on their own. While observing Terminus, Daryl had quietly killed three walkers. He had no idea how many the others had taken down. The woods were not safe, but he knew that he had to make it back, if only to prove to Beth that she never had to say goodbye to him for good.

Daryl and Rick walked to where Abraham was hunched over behind a tree. His camouflage helped him blend in to the surroundings, but his shockingly red hair stood out from this angle.

"Wish I had some damned sunscreen." The redhead groused as he rubbed his hand over his freckled face. "Been sitting right in the sunlight for the past hour."

"D'you see anything?" Daryl asked.

Abraham shook his head. "Seems empty."

Rick nodded, "Does seem so."

"Did you hear screamin' earlier though?" Abraham asked, looking to the other two. "Seemed to echo pretty loud, and there was a couple bangs, like metal doors closing."

Daryl and Rick shook their heads. "When was this?"

"Maybe ten minutes after I got here. I listened for anything else, but I heard nothin'. I thought maybe it was someone out in the forest, but then I noticed the train cars."

Abraham pointed out metal containers stacked on the side opposite from where they were standing. They could only see parts of the train cars through gaps between the buildings.

"Might be nothin', might be somethin'." Abraham said.

"Let's hope it's nothin'." Rick said, and Daryl grunted in agreement.

They continued on around the fence to meet Rosita. When she saw movement, she looked up and put her hand up in the air, indicating that they should stop where they are. She was laying low to the ground behind two full bushes. Kudzu wrapped the both of them together, and connected to several of the trees on this side of the compound.

She began to crawl towards them on her hands and knees, obviously hiding from people. When she reached the others, she motioned that they should keep quiet and head back the way they came. It wasn't until they neared the spot where they had met Abraham that she spoke.

"They were having a picnic."

"A picnic?" Daryl spat in scorn. "Who the hell has a picnic during the middle of a damned apocalypse?"

"They obviously believe they have nothing to fear," Rick said, subconsciously putting his hand on the hip that carried his gun.

"Where are they getting the food?" Abraham asked, looking at the empty fields behind the fence.

"That was the weird part," Rosita said, her nose crinkled in disgust. "All they ate was meat. They grilled a ton of steaks, but there wasn't a single potato dish, or a salad, or even blackberries which seem to be growing in abundance out here." She swatted at a blackberry vine near her head.

Daryl picked one off and gave it a thoughtful chew. "If I lived here, I might only need to do half the huntin' I do now. How d'you reckon they get the meat? Ain't animals big enough trompin' through here that could make that many steaks." Rick shrugged his shoulders.

"You think their systems are all clogged up?" Abraham said, "I mean, eatin' all that meat's bound to give you some serious constipation." Rosita groaned in disgust.

"Listen, we need to get in there to see if any of our people are in there. You didn't see anyone matching Maggie's description, did you?" Rick asked Rosita.

She shook her head. "There wasn't that many of them. Maybe twenty total. There were a couple with short brown hair, but they were either short, or didn't look like how you described Maggie."

"Sasha or Bob?" Daryl asked.

"There was only one African-American male. He looked young, but he had dreads, like Michonne."

"Ain't Bob, for sure." Daryl said to Rick.

"Well, maybe they weren't out at the picnic. Let's head in and see what we can find out."

They managed to climb the fence, and hopped over before anyone could come to investigate. The rattling of the chain link stretched a good portion of the fence, and had Daryl been on guard duty, he knew that his first impression would be that a walker was banging on it, trying to get in. He would have come to take care of the walker to avoid a pile of the undead knocking the fence over.

They raced towards one of the buildings in the back, and opened the door, hoping to find a spot to lay low until they could have a look around for Sasha, Bob, and Maggie. They stepped inside and immediately regretted their decision. Seated behind small desks, five heads popped up to look at Rick, Daryl, Abraham, and Rosita.

"Hello," a young man said, with a little bit of confusion in his voice. "I see you've come in through the back. I can only guess who's on guard duty now."

The young man jumped down from his seat and put his hands up, indicating that he had no intentions of harming them. "Welcome to Terminus. Typically, we'd do this up front in the entrance, but we take people how they come, and if that's through the back, so be it." He put his empty hands on his chest and offered the group a charming smile, "I'm Gareth. Alex and Mike are going to come and make sure you're not hiding anything. Do you mind putting your weapons in front of you?"

The group was hesitant, but they recognized that Gareth's request was actually an order for them to obey. "Down on the ground, folks. You'll get them back. I wish you would have come in through the front, the welcome wagon is a whole lot nicer than meeting us in here."

Rick was the first to hesitantly put his gun on the ground, followed by Rosita and Abraham. Daryl was more reluctant to drop his crossbow, but when Mike came to take the crossbow from him, he put it down on his own accord, followed by the knife Beth had returned to him.

After they were frisked, Gareth permitted them to pick their weapons back up, and he led them towards the front of the compound where the picnic was still happening. "Mary," Gareth said to a woman handing out platters of meat. "We have a few people here whom I would like to have join us for dinner."

A middle-aged woman with long auburn hair looked up at the four with a smile. "Good evening," she said, walking around from behind the table, "Welcome to Terminus. Would you like a plate?"

"This is quite the set-up you have here," Abraham said, looking around and nodding appreciatively at the picnic tables, tents, and barbeque grill that spread across the former railway station's pavement. Daryl and Rick quickly looked around for any signs that their friends might be here.

Daryl looked closely at a woman with a poncho that looked exactly like his. His poncho had been unique. It was an old horse blanket that Daryl had stolen from Hershel's farm before they left that he had put a hole in and called it a poncho. When the woman bent over to eat, Daryl could see the frayed ends that he had made when he cut a hole for his head.

Daryl caught Rick's eyes and gave an imperceptible nod to the woman. Rick flicked his eyes to a backpack in the corner that looked like the one that had belonged to Bob. Daryl nodded that he saw it as well.

Rosita reached out for a plate, unsure of what else she should do, when Rick knocked it out of her hands. He pulled his gun out and aimed it at Gareth. Daryl directed his crossbow at Mary.

"Where are they?" Rick demanded of Gareth.

Gareth had a look of vague disinterest on his face when he signaled for the snipers on the roof to start shooting.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Wait a Little Longer**

* * *

 

Here the labor is so hard and the workers are so tired  
And our weary hearts are yearning for a rest  
And we find we're gettin' anxious to be in that happy land  
Where we'll receive such peace and happiness.

Wait a little longer please Jesus  
There are so many wandering out in sin  
Just a little longer please Jesus  
A few more days to get our loved ones in.

-Buck Owens, Wait a Little Longer, Please Jesus

* * *

 

Daryl and Rick had been gone for an hour. Beth imagined that they, along with Rosita and Abraham, were approaching Terminus and that they were getting ready to begin observing the compound. She tried not to worry, but between sitting around and setting up a small make-shift camp, there wasn't much else to do. She had helped Michonne and Carl set up a perimeter for their camp, and she taught Tara how to build a fire that would be difficult to see from a distance. Daryl had taught her that a few weeks ago. She kept as busy as she could to keep her mind off of Daryl's absence.

As a group they decided that their meeting point would be two miles south east from Terminus, just off a seemingly abandoned road. They made camp at an intersection with a sign that indicated Walker Lakes down one street, and Macon Downtown Airport down the other. Beth felt uneasy with the name of the lakes, but she knew she was being superstitious based upon a name they had attributed to those who had been infected. She knew one of the roads was a major interstate that lead north into Macon, and south into Savannah, and the other was a smaller highway she was unfamiliar with. The interstate had cars that had at some point been abandoned, while the highway was completely clear a few yards past a wreck at the junction.

Glenn tapped her on the shoulder and told her to follow him. "Let's go and see if any of the cars work."

They stayed fairly close to the others, but ventured far enough on their own that they couldn't see the camp. Glenn and Beth were close. He treated her like a younger sibling, and Beth appreciated that. She missed her brother Shawn an awful lot, and Glenn helped to fill the spaces that her brother had left behind after he died. While he was in love with Maggie, he took the time to get to know Beth as a person. He knew about the music she loved, and he had talked to her many times about her feelings toward Zach, and some things her father wouldn't talk to her about. He had been the one to slip her a condom after she and Zach started to get close. She had been embarrassed at the time, but she and Zach never had the opportunity to use it. She was thankful for his comfort with her. He was someone that Beth could trust with almost anything.

They noticed that most of the cars were inoperable as they walked along. Some still had corpses in them, and others were coated in blood. Cars that seemed fine were out of gas, or had corroded batteries, or something else that just made Glenn decide not to pick the car. He wasn't able to diagnose major problems with some of the cars, but he had picked up a lot from Dale and Daryl over the past couple years.

He stopped next to a flashy Jaguar, and looked inside. "Look at this beauty!" He exclaimed with a smile at Beth. It was bright red with black leather seats that were still pristine. Beth took a look inside and could see very few items inside. She wondered if the person who had been driving the car was planning to meet up with someone else who had the supplies that he would need. She didn't imagine that he had made it very far. It was a depressing thought, but many people hadn't made it long after the outbreak.

"The only time I got to drive a car this nice was just a little while before we came to the farm. It was fast. I drove down 85 going as fast as the car would go. Let me tell you, it was fast."

Beth smiled at Glenn's boyish grin. His hand ran up and down the dusty hood of the Jaguar as he whistled. "It's nice, Glenn," she said softly. "I just don't think it's practical."

Glenn nodded and sobered his smile, "I know. Just wish I could drive something like this once in my life, and have it mean that I've made it. I wonder what the owner did to buy a car like this."

Beth shrugged, "Must have had some money. But I guess now the way we say we've made it is if we survive, and if we thrive, and if we love one another. I think that's better than driving a fancy car."

Glenn stood up and smiled at her. "I don't know if anyone has told you this, Beth, but you're probably the smartest person left in this world. Don't let anyone say you're not." He hugged Beth tight.

Beth chuckled as she hugged him back. They parted quickly and eventually moved on to the next car. "I think this one can be fixed up pretty easily." Glenn said. "It even comes with a gas canister." He said as he reached back and grabbed a red gas canister that would be really useful to them now and in the future.

Glenn worked on the car for a little while before he hopped in and drove it to the other side of the road where it was clear. "It's almost full now, and we can get a few more together, just in case."

"You don't think Rick and Daryl will come back for us?" Glenn paused and glanced at Beth's posture. She had wrapped her arms around herself, and looked back behind her in the direction of Terminus.

"I don't know, Beth." Glenn said sadly. "I hope they do, but we need a Plan-B."

Beth stared into the window of the next car up. It looked a lot like the car that she and Daryl had climbed into to hide from a horde. They had curled up in the trunk, and hid until the sun came up. She knew that Daryl would come back for her. He had to come back for her. She wouldn't leave until he came back. She realized how desperate she felt, but she and Daryl had been through too much for her to just leave them if the unthinkable happened.

"What happened between you and Daryl?" Glenn asked. He kept his voice free from accusation as he asked her such a difficult question.

"A lot." Beth said simply. "Everything."

"Everything?" Glenn was surprised. He never imagined that Daryl and Beth would get together, but he couldn't find fault in either of them for taking comfort where they could find it. He knew less deserving people who had found someone to love, even if it was only for a short period of time.

"Well, not everything." Beth blushed and tucked a loose hair behind her ear. "He saved me; more than twice. He taught me how to track, and how to hunt. He was teaching me how to use his bow before I got hurt. He got me drunk, and we burnt a house down. And we found a place we were going to stay together, just him and me, and whoever else lived there if they were still alive. He told me about himself; things that he never told anybody before."

Glenn smiled gently, and nodded as Beth spoke. "You're close."

Beth nodded, "Yeah."

"Do you love him?" Glenn and Maggie had known quickly. They knew in a matter of days that they loved each other, and nothing anyone did could have changed their minds. Most love stories these days were quick, because death was just around every corner. Each moment could be the last, and no one wanted to waste a single second.

"I don't know." Beth said. "I haven't really had time to think about it." She hadn't had the chance. Every time something spectacular happened between them, something else came to cause them trouble.

Glenn let the subject drop with a very casual comment that if Beth needed anything that he'd be there for her. They pulled together two more cars and a pick-up. Beth helped him by keeping an eye out for any walkers, and handing him parts that each car needed. They had found a tool-kit in the back of one of the trucks which was surprising for them to find. Glenn had wrenched it out of the back and secured it in the trunk of one of the cars, just in case anyone else was wandering around out here.

They had worked for a couple of hours when Beth began to earnestly tap Glenn on the back. "Movement." She said quickly. "There's something moving."

In the distance, Beth could see two people walking, but with the glare of the sun she couldn't tell if they were living or dead. One was taller than the other, with broader shoulders, and the other was short. They slowly made their way through parked cars, and their bodies seemed to waver with each step.

Glenn stood up as he shut the hood to the pick-up he was checking and he turned around. "Walkers?" He asked Beth, pulling his gun out. They watched a moment more, until Beth heard a sound that stabbed her through her heart. An infant's cry came from the direction of the two figures moving closer.

Any mother could tell you that she knows the sound of her child's cry better than anyone else. She could pick out the sound of her child crying in a dark room with twenty other screaming infants, and know for sure that she had the right child. Beth was not a mother, but after Lori's death, she had taken on the role because she felt that she needed to earn her keep. She had become a mother to baby Judith, and Daryl had become a temporary father figure to Carl while his father had been inconsolable. One of the best memories Beth had of Daryl before the destruction of the prison was Daryl's kindness toward Carl and Judith.

"Judith." Beth stumbled as she took a step forward toward the approaching individuals. "Judith!" She cried and ran to the two people walking towards them.

"Shit." Glenn said as he chased after her. "Beth!" Glenn wasn't certain that these were people they knew, but he knew he needed to back Beth up.

"Beth!" He heard a woman's voice echo his own. The smaller figure ran towards Beth. Glenn picked up the pace.

"Carol!" Beth cried, meeting the older woman and wrapping her arm around her. "Tyreese!"

"Tyreese!" Glenn cried happily, "Carol! You have Judith?" Tyreese came forward with the tiny girl strapped to his chest.

"We've been taking care of her." Tyreese said, placing a hand on her back. "Are you guys going to Terminus? Is anyone else with you?"

"Rick? Daryl? Maggie?" Carol inquired.

Beth went to place a reassuring hand on Judith's head. She placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you, sweetie." Tears slid down her cheeks as she grinned up at Tyreese. Tyreese smiled back at her.

"Come back to camp. There's a lot we need to fill you in on." Glenn said, putting a hand on Carol's shoulder.

* * *

 

Michonne pulled Glenn aside and spoke to him harshly. "If you don't remember, she killed Karen and David."

"What was I supposed to do?" Glenn hissed, "Leave her, but bring Tyreese? Rick can deal with it when he gets back."

Glenn looked back over at the campfire. Carl and Beth were cuddling Judith. Beth had released her arm from the makeshift sling she had it in, and gingerly wrapped her arms around the little infant she had placed in her lap. Carl sat glued to Beth's side, touching Judith's cheeks softly, and ghosting a hand over her wispy hair.

"If he gets back." Michonne warned. "He left us in charge otherwise."

"It's not even dark yet. He'll be back." Glenn said.

Glenn looked around at the others setting up camp. Eugene and Tara were sitting and talking with Carol and Tyreese. Carol and Tyreese had been filled in about where Rick and Daryl were, and the plan to leave in the morning if they were not back. Beth had frowned at that, and Glenn knew he would have difficulties in convincing her to leave if it came down to that or staying. He knew Beth felt something for Daryl, and he knew she wanted to figure it out. 'If he didn't make it back...' Glenn stopped that thought for Beth's sake.

In the distance came the sound of thunder; however, not a single cloud was in the sky. Everyone looked up and looked around at each other in confusion. The sound of gunfire was unmistakable. Round after round after round blasted from a gun miles away. Each boom reverberated off the trees surrounding them. The gunshots rang out for several minutes. Each shot piercing a hole into the group's heart. There was no explanation for the gunshots coming from Terminus other than that something had gone wrong with the scouting mission. Glenn selfishly hoped they hadn't found Maggie there.

When the echoes finally stopped, Judith cried; everyone else sat stock-still, their faces pale and void of expression.

* * *

**Chapter 15: One Chance**

* * *

 

We have one chance  
One chance to get everything right  
We have one chance, one chance  
And if we're lucky we might

My friends, my habits, my family, they mean so much to me  
I just don't think that it's right  
I've seen so many ships sail in  
Just to head back out again and go off sinkin'

-Modest Mouse, One Chance

* * *

 

The building was dark as they approached. No candles were lit in the windows, and no people were outside. The moonless night made it difficult to see more than a handful of feet in front of them, but after two years without artificial lighting, most people had adapted a better sense of hearing. Sounds that once would have been drowned out by ambient noises like cars driving on the freeway, or the electric hum of air conditioners humming on hot summer nights were now audible to the typical human being. Whispers could be heard across fields, and screams could be heard for miles. The fatal sound for most were sounds that were never there in the first place; sounds inside each individual's mind that caused distraction and inattention.

Beth and Carl slowly walked towards Terminus. Judith was strapped to Beth's chest. Judith's weight pulled Beth's shoulder, and she hissed with each step she took. Carl looked up at her and grasped her hand. Beth lightly squeezed his hand in return. She was glad that it was the two of them together for this task.

"Do you want me to carry her?" Carl asked, frowning in concern.

Beth shook her head. "I need you on point. You can't shoot with her strapped to your chest."

Carl nodded and checked his gun that he had tucked into the back of his pants, and under his shirt. She, Carl, and Judith were the decoys for Plan-C. After everyone had sobered from the sounds of rapid gunfire, Glenn and Michonne began putting Plan-C into action. Plan-B had been to jump into the cars and head off into destinations unknown. Everyone protested. Beth, Carl, and Carol had been the most vocal, but Glenn and Maggie had their reservations on leaving without everyone as well.

They had driven with their lights off toward Terminus, and parked half a mile away. With the cars cloaked both by the night and the buildings that surrounded the train terminal, the small group walked the rest of the way to the compound where their leader had intended to go earlier that day.

Beth looked behind her as Michonne and Glenn slipped into position. They hid near the gate with their weapons drawn and safety off. Luckily, there were places for them to hide before Beth and Carl called attention to themselves.

They could see two people on guard duty. One held a crossbow. Beth knew immediately that it was Daryl's, but it was not Daryl who handled it. The man was skinny, and appeared to have no knowledge of how to hold the bow. Beth winced as she saw him drop it on the ground, its limb smacking especially hard into the earth.

Everyone seemed to be in position, but she knew that her and Carl's job was the worst. They could come directly into conflict with the most number of people, and Beth had an infant strapped to her chest. She had a gun, just in case, but she knew she could not fire it with Judith cradled in her arms. It would damage the infant's hearing, and Beth wanted to protect the child as much as she possibly could. Judith was like her own daughter, and Beth knew she would fiercely protect her when it came down to it.

"Are you okay?" Beth asked Carl. His face was grim.

Carl nodded, "Yeah. Just… what if they're dead?"

The thought had crossed Beth's mind many times, but it was something she was not willing to vocalize. "We can't think like that, Carl." She said sadly, "We have to think that they are, not only so they believe us," she gestured at the compound, "but because we can't give up on them that easily. They've survived so much. This can't stop them."

Carl squeezed her hand one more time, and they limped hand in hand to the gate. "Help! Help!" They screamed, as if they hadn't seen the guards. "Help us, please! Someone! Anyone!"

The guards rushed over to the gate, shushing the children as Judith began to wail. "Shush, shush. Quiet down!

A faint metallic banging began behind one of the buildings. Beth rubbed Judith's back, and attempted to silence her. The banging began to sound more frantic. Beth and Carl looked around for the sound. The guards seemed panicked. "Can you help us, please?" Beth asked imploringly.

Though Carl had grown a lot in the last two years, he attempted to make himself appear smaller. It wasn't a difficult task, as the last few nights had taken a number out of him.

"What's your name?" The one with the crossbow asked.

"Beth," she said, putting her hand over Judith's back. "This is my little brother, Carl, and my little sister, Judy. Our dad told us he'd meet us here. We got separated in a herd when we were on our way here."

"Where's your mom?" The other guard asked.

Carl began to wail, sobbing loudly as if he were inconsolable. Beth allowed a tear to form in her eye as Carl latched onto her waist. "She died giving birth to Judy. Is he here? Is my dad here? Our uncle came with him."

The man who held Daryl's crossbow shook his head. "There hasn't been anyone new here in weeks. I'm sorry, your dad and uncle haven't been here. You can stay, however, and see if they show up."

Carl stopped crying and stood back up as he glared at the man with the crossbow. "They haven't been here?" He asked. "That's interesting, because you're holding Daryl's crossbow."

He pulled his gun from the waistband of his jeans and aimed it at the guy's head. Glenn and Michonne stepped out from their hiding places. Michonne had her katana out, and ready to swing, and Glenn's posture mirrored Carl's.

"Where are they?" Michonne asked, walking closer to the two incompetent guards, her katana swinging in high arcs around her body. The two men began to shake. The one holding Daryl's bow pissed his pants in fear.

The metallic banging ceased.

* * *

 

Daryl, Rick, Abraham, and Rosita had been rounded up and directed into a box car. "The ring leader, the archer, G.I. Joe, and the Chi Omega" were lined up in front of an abandoned red box car with the letter "A" written on the side.

Rosita bristled at being labeled a sorority girl, just because she was young and pretty. She admitted to herself that it was better than being called something else, because she was Latina, or because she was a woman.

They filed one by one into the box car, and the door slammed shut behind them, plunging them into darkness, even though the sun was still high. Rustling came from the other end of the car, and the four prepared themselves for another attack. Their vision hadn't adjusted, and they weren't sure if the movement was human, walker, or animal. They prepared for the worst.

"Rick?" A hard female voice asked, moving closer.

Rick squinted, trying to get his vision to adjust faster. A blind spot appeared where the person should be standing, but his periphery vision was adjusting quickly.

"Maggie?" Daryl asked, his eyes squinting. He couldn't see her still, but he would know her voice anywhere.

"Daryl?" Maggie asked with a smile. "It is you. Both of you. You made it out!" She came forward to hug Rick and Daryl.

"Who's here with you?" Rick asked. He still couldn't see quite clearly.

"Bob." A deep male's voice said.

"Sasha." Sasha said, stepping forward to hug the men as well.

Bob followed after for a handshake. "We're really glad to see you, but wish it were under different circumstances." He said, as if they were meeting at a funeral or a hospital room.

"How long have you all been here?" Rick asked.

"A few days, I guess?" Maggie said. She looked at the other two people who came with Rick and Daryl.

"I guess these are the people you were looking for?" Abraham said, with a nod to the other three.

Rick nodded. "Maggie. Sasha. Bob. This is Abraham and Rosita. They helped someone very special find us."

Maggie's eyes widened. "Glenn? They found Glenn? Where is he?"

Daryl frowned as once again, Beth seemed to be forgotten. Beth was so adamantly looking for her sister, and it seemed that Maggie gave up on her long ago. He knew he would never tell Beth how Maggie didn't even seem to be looking for her, but he felt that even his own brother would have been a better sibling in this situation. Merle wasn't an ideal family member; he had been rude, and mean, and constantly under the influence of some substance. Daryl never thought that his older brother didn't care about him though. Daryl knew that Merle would have done anything to find him if he had been lost.

"He's back at camp," Rick said. "Now, how do we get out of here?"

They tried for several hours to find a way to open the box car. Eventually, guards came by and opened the door. They shoved guns in their faces and told them if they kept up with the banging they would shoot one person at a time. Eventually they stopped trying. They talked about a plan to ambush the next person who opened the door, but Rick and Daryl knew that their group would be moving on within the next few hours.

They would just have to hope that they could find them again after they got out, because they saw no other option. Daryl had decided long ago that he would do what it took to survive, and he knew that right now, with how things were with Beth, that he would need to get out to get back to her. He owed her that much. He promised her that he would return for her, and he wasn't going to break that promise.

They had been able to track the hours by the way the sunlight passed through the cracks on the inside wall. Slowly, the illuminated line rose higher as the sun sank. Eventually, it was pitch black, and darker than the first few moments that the group had entered. Daryl's heart ached as he realized he wouldn't be able to honor his promise to Beth.

Daryl didn't know what time it was when he heard shouting. It sounded like a very feminine voice screaming for help. The metal of the box car made everything seem to echo and penetrate into his bones. He stood up, hoping that everything would be fine.

A second voice soon joined, a younger male's voice. "That's Carl." Rick said. An infant cried.

Rick began pounding on the door. Daryl couldn't hear the voices any more, not over the sounds of Rick's banging. He joined in. Soon, everyone was banging and pounding, attempting to get out, and not worried if the man with the gun came to shoot them again. Daryl knew he would attack the man before he could attack them if it came to that.

The door opened. Daryl rushed out, prepared to tackle whomever stood in the way and was shocked to find a woman with short grey hair. "Carol?"

Daryl felt like he was looking at a ghost. He stood in shock for a moment before she looked at the seven of them and said, "Come on. We have to go quickly." Carol knew who she was looking for, and Daryl knew that she had been with Beth, Carl, Glenn and Michonne before coming to rescue them.

They filed out of the box car and quickly followed Carol as she ran through the maze of box cars. "Tyreese!" Carol whisper-shouted as they barreled through the train grave yard, and out into the main area where the people in Terminus were having lunch earlier that day.

Tyreese, Eugene and Tara sprinted out, followed by a handful of people they had found in other box cars.

"We gotta go." Tyreese said, grabbing Carol's arm and leading them to the front gate.

Daryl could see six figures standing at the gate. Beth and Carl stood in the center. Carl had his gun drawn. Michonne was swinging her katana as if she were debating on killing the men or not. They approached thunderously. The two men turned around as a wall of people barreled toward them, very intent on escaping their prison.

Daryl could see Beth grinning at him as soon as she saw him, and he noticed the baby on her chest. She grabbed Carl's shoulder and turned with him to lead the way to the cars. Her hand cradled the back of Judith's head as she sprinted for all that she was able.

Daryl paused to pick up his crossbow off the ground from where the kid dropped it. "Thanks," he grunted as he swung it and knocked the kid out. Rick grabbed the pistol from the other, right before Daryl swung the bow and knocked the other kid out as well.

When they reached the four cars, everyone filed in quickly, those that had escaped jumped into the bed of the truck. Glenn led the way south down Interstate 16 toward Savannah.

* * *

**Chapter 16: Fly Away From Here**

* * *

 

Looking for a way, maybe now, maybe in a day  
'Cause nothings gonna change if we stay around here  
We gotta do what it takes, 'cause it's all in our hands  
We all make mistakes, but it's never too late to start again  
Take another breath and say another prayer

And fly away from here  
Anywhere, I don't care  
We'll just fly away from here  
Our hopes and dreams  
Are out there somewhere  
We won't let them pass us by  
We'll just fly

If this life, gets any harder now, don't ever mind, you got me by your side  
And any time you want, we can catch a train and find a better place  
'Cause we won't let nothing or no one keep getting us down  
Maybe you and I should pack our bags and say goodbye

-Aerosmith, Fly Away From Here

* * *

 

Beth and Carl had piled into the car Glenn drove, and Michonne sat in the front seat. Beth could see the headlights behind them each time she looked out the rear window, but she couldn't see the passengers within. The car that Glenn was driving held a car seat that he had pulled from an inoperable SUV when Carol and Tyreese found the group. It smelled musty, but it was certain to work at least until Judith out grew it. Seatbelts weren't a necessity anymore, but Glenn had felt better about having the car seat in the car rather than letting someone hold the infant as they rode along the empty highway.

"Did you see Maggie?" Beth asked Glenn, who was just as eager to pull over and find his wife.

"She was there." Michonne said, reaching back and putting a hand on Beth's knee. "I saw her running with Sasha."

"Dad made it into a car right?" Carl asked, reaching over and holding onto Judith's tiny hand. "He's going to want to see Judith."

"And Daryl too?" Beth tried to sound nonchalant, but she knew that she sounded worried. Michonne squeezed her knee.

"We're going to pull over at the rest station. We'll meet up with everyone and you'll see that we have everyone and that everyone is okay." Glenn said, trying to reassure himself as much as the young people riding in the car with him. Michonne smiled at him and nodded. A sign whirled past, on the opposite side of the highway, letting them know the next rest station was two miles away.

They were two miles from the exit for Dublin, Georgia when they pulled into the vacant west-bound rest station through the exit. Traveling East on the West-bound highway had unsettled Beth during the first year after the outbreak, but now, during the third fall, it strangely seemed commonplace to use the wrong highway. Near most major cities, the outbound highway was congested and clogged with cars that had not made it out in time. Usually, a wreck a few miles out is where the problem began, but because the world was in chaos at that point, no one had come to solve the issue, or care for the passengers in trouble.

She anxiously anticipated the stop. She imagined that she would see her sister, and that they would hug for hours. Out of everyone in their family, they were it now; she, Maggie, and Glenn. She thought she would hug Maggie, and maybe Daryl would come stand beside her, but she knew he would feel intimidated with all of the people around them hugging and possibly crying that she wasn't going to feel insulted if he stayed away from the group. She'd check in with him before they left the rest station, though. She was excited to see Maggie. She had missed her big sister over the weeks that they had been separated.

Glenn pulled to a stop, ignoring the parking spaces that formerly kept order at the busy stop. He jumped out of the car as soon as the engine turned off. Michonne and Carl did as well. Beth gently unstrapped Judith and pulled her outside with them, just as the other cars began to stop and unload. She stood beside Glenn, and she grinned when she saw her sister emerge from the car directly behind them.

Maggie ran as if she had wings, and she flew straight towards Beth and Glenn. "Glenn!" She shouted as she ran towards him, her arms outstretched, ready to embrace him. Beth's smile slipped from her face as her sister ran right past her and into her husband's arms. She hadn't even noticed that Beth was standing there with him. She held Judith just a little tighter and struggled against the idea of pulling her sister away from Glenn.

Daryl noticed, and he felt bad for Beth. Maggie had forgotten about her several times over. First, she had excluded her from the notes to Terminus, then she hadn't asked if anyone had seen her when they reunited in the box car. Beth was simply forgotten.

He grabbed Rick's arm and smiled when he saw the baby Beth carried in her arms. "Rick, looks like you need to come see someone." Daryl was thrilled that his Lil' Asskicker had found her way back to the group, but he was more than curious on how she wound up with them. Daryl couldn't help but smile as Beth returned to her maternal role with the young child; he also secretly wondered if he'd ever have children, and if he'd make a decent father.

Rick had been looking for Carl in the crowd that had jumped down from the back of the truck, but when he looked over at the first car he relaxed as he saw the Sheriff's hat perched low over his son's long brown hair. His son was his first priority, and the group was his second. He knew Carl thought that it was the opposite for such a long time, but Rick was determined to make sure he knew now how important his son was to him.

Rick looked at Daryl, and looked back to where the other man was looking. He was looking at Beth. Rick felt like he had been punched in the gut when he saw what Beth was holding. Rick had seen the car seat at the prison. Blood had been splashed inside, and as the weeks passed, Rick and Carl had mourned the loss of the young Grimes daughter. Here she was, however, bigger than she was the last time they had seen her, and in one piece. Rick choked out a sob. Slowly, the two men walked towards the young blonde. Tears were falling down Rick's cheeks when they reached Beth. His arms went out for his infant daughter.

"She's alive?" Rick said roughly, his voice tender and full of awe. Carl came to stand at his shoulder, and he leaned into his dad's side. Rick pressed back into Carl, since his arms were full and he couldn't pull his son into a solid hug.

"She's fine." Beth said softly, her arms feeling empty now that Rick had Judith. It was a bit of a relief, however, because Beth's shoulder still throbbed from where she had been shot. Daryl stood beside her and he gently tapped her hand with his. Their hands twined together briefly before they both let go; neither wanted the attention tonight. Daryl just wanted her to know he was there with her, and Beth appreciated his presence.

Beth turned to look at him and he looked at her. "You okay?" She asked softly. Everyone seemed preoccupied with reuniting, and checking to be sure that their loved ones were okay. The six that had escaped with Carol's group hung back, uncertain of their place. Some introduced themselves to Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene. Tara stuck close to the four of them, equally uncertain of her connection to anyone.

Daryl nodded slightly and grunted in return. Beth gave him a smile. She hadn't expected him to come and hold her hand, but she was glad that he was there with her. "There's someone I think who you need to see again, too."

Beth had seen Carol approaching as soon as she handed Judith over to Rick. She was coming from the back of the pick-up, as she had been one of the last people to hop on before everyone drove off. She came up and gave Daryl a hug, but released him quickly when his hug lasted only a brief moment.

"I sure was surprised to see you," Daryl laughed softly as he pulled away from Carol. "Carol is the one who opened our box car." Daryl said to Beth.

"I figured I would never see you again," Carol said with a smile at Daryl.

"Carol is also the person who brought Judith back to us." Beth told Rick and Daryl. Rick looked over at Carol quickly before he looked back down at his daughter.

"Thank you." He said tersely. He wasn't sure how to react to Carol. He wasn't sure if Tyreese knew about Carol's involvement in Karen and David's death. Tyreese had been in his car with him, Daryl, Sasha, and Maggie, and while he had mentioned that he had escaped the prison and met Carol, he hadn't mentioned if they had had any conversations with her about the time at the prison. He also hadn't mentioned having Judith with him, and Rick knew that they would have to have a conversation soon about everything the burly man knew.

Glenn and Maggie were kissing passionately, and Beth still felt hurt. It had been several minutes and Maggie still hadn't noticed her younger sister standing right behind her. Though Carol was talking to him, and telling him about how she and Tyreese found the group, Daryl was preoccupied with observing Beth. The young woman looked like a wilted flower. Her radiant smile had disappeared to be replaced with heartbreak and rejection. Daryl vowed to never make Beth look like that because of him.

"'Scuse me." Beth said softly as she walked towards Sasha, Bob, and Tyreese. She wanted to check with them to make sure that they were fine and to say hello.

Rick looked up and watched Beth walk away. He looked confused, but as he looked past Daryl to Glenn and Maggie, he had an idea of what was wrong. "Maggie." Rick said to the young woman. Maggie pulled herself away from her husband with a smile and turned to look at Rick. She seemed annoyed that he had broken up their reunion, but since she respected Rick, she felt the need to pay attention to him.

"There's someone else you need to say hello to." He kept it simple. Daryl was fuming for Beth and he refused to even look at the young woman for fear that he would show his frustration with Maggie. The last thing he wanted to do was alienate himself from any part of Beth's family.

Maggie looked confused until she looked around and finally saw Beth who was hugging Sasha and Bob. "Beth." She said with a gasp. She seemed truly shocked to see her younger sister in the group, but she began a hesitant walk towards her. Maggie realized that as soon as she had left the prison, she had given up hope for her younger sister. She thought that Beth wouldn't survive on her own out in the wilderness with no food, shelter, and rampant walkers. She had come across the bus that was supposed to hold Beth, and when she found it empty, she shut the part of herself down that held hope for finding her family, and focused on finding her husband instead.

Beth could see Sasha, Bob, and Tyreese focusing on something behind her as she checked in with them and asked how they were. Their eyes shifted from her face to over her shoulder, and she felt it necessary to turn around and see what they were seeing. She came face to face with her sister, who engulfed her in a tight hug, and made it nearly impossible for her to breathe.

"Bethy," Maggie said softly with tears in her eyes, "I thought you were with the bus. When I got there, there was no one left, and I thought…" Maggie got choked up. "I thought you were gone too."

"Maggie," Beth groaned, "I can't breathe." Maggie barked out a laugh and released Beth so they could look into each other's faces. "It's good to see you." Beth smiled softly. She didn't tell Maggie how much it hurt that she had given up faith in her, and hadn't bothered looking for her.

"How did you survive? You were running back for the children when I saw you last."

"The bus left without me, and Daryl found me. We camped for a couple weeks and found a few places to live for a little while, but we made it. He taught me a lot." Beth didn't tell her even a portion of the real story between them. She didn't tell her about the funeral home, or the mouse house, or how Daryl had filled a bath for her to clean up in. She didn't tell Maggie about being shot, or finding Joe's group, or killing a man to save Daryl, Rick, Michonne, and Carl. She was sure that there would come a time when she would tell Maggie, but she didn't think that tonight was that time.

"You're okay?" Beth asked, looking her sister over.

"I'm okay." Maggie said, pulling Beth into another hug. They held onto each other for a long time.

It felt like ages when Rick came over to Beth and Maggie. He had given Judith to Daryl, and he, Carol, Carl, Sasha, Bob, Tyreese, Glenn and Michonne were sitting at one of two picnic tables that Daryl, Carol, Carl and Michonne had moved from the hip high grass to the parking lot. The others had meandered around until Rick told them that he'd like to call a council meeting now, with his group. He had introduced himself to the six new comers, and had explained that he wanted to talk with his group before they decided the next course of action.

Abraham had been adamant about heading north to D.C., and the others were just happy to have escaped from Terminus. Abraham and Rosita petitioned to be able to meet with the group as well, since they had helped find Maggie, Sasha, and Bob, and had put their lives in danger in doing so. Rick nodded and said that he would talk with the group about it, and see what the groups wishes were first.

"Beth, Maggie." Rick said softly to the sisters who had at some point began to cry into each other's shoulders. "We'd like to call a meeting now."

The two young women broke apart, and let out a little laugh at the state they were in. Beth wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and Maggie dabbed at her cheeks to wipe the tears away. They walked back to the table, hand in hand, and only broke apart when they sat down. Daryl scooted closer to Carl and made room for Beth to sit next to him. She smiled, and grinned at the baby in his arms as she sat down at the end of the table. Rick stood beside her at the head of the table so he could be sure to see everyone.

"I'm glad you're all here," he began softly. "First things first, is anyone injured, or has anything happened that we as a group need to know about?" Everyone was silent for a moment, and everyone looked around. Beth quietly raised her hand. Rick nodded at her to speak.

"I'm still recovering from being shot." Her hand went to her injured shoulder, "I'm doing the best I can with my left hand, but I've been relying on Daryl, Rick, and Michonne a lot to make sure that they have my back if anything happens. So…" Beth looked at Rick to make sure that was what he wanted to hear. She heard Maggie gasp, but refused to look at her sister, who she knew would be glaring at her for not telling her right away.

Bob spoke next. "I'm also recovering. I was nearly bit, but I lucked out when a walker bit bandage instead of skin."

"When did this happen?" Rick asked.

"Two-three weeks ago?" Bob asked, looking around at Maggie and Sasha who nodded. Rick nodded, accepting that if Bob were going to turn, he would have done so by now.

"Everyone else is fine? Nothing else happened?"

"Lizzie and Micah didn't make it." Carol volunteered. "They were with Tyreese and I for a while, but…" she shook her head, indicating that she didn't want to talk about it.

Beth felt her heart drop as she thought of all the children who hadn't made it. This world wasn't safe for children. They'd need to find shelter that was certain to keep walkers out, to help Judith grow up into an adult. It would take a village to raise this one child. Beth reached over and brushed her hand on Judith's back, and accidentally hit Daryl's hand. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. He returned the smile, and under the table he pressed his leg against hers. Beth pressed back into him, and took comfort in his presence.

* * *

**Chapter 17: Wake Up**

* * *

 

Somethin' filled up  
My heart with nothin'  
Someone told me not to cry

Now that I'm older  
My heart's colder  
And I can see that it's a lie

If the children don't grow up  
Our bodies get bigger, but our hearts get torn up

-Arcade Fire, Wake Up

* * *

 

After he had ascertained the condition of the group, Rick called for the other people to come to the table. Eugene, Abraham, Rosita and Tara came and stood near Glenn and Maggie, near the opposite end of the table from Rick, Daryl, Beth, and Michonne. The remaining six took tentative positions closer to the apparent leader of the group. Everyone seemed to hold their breaths, waiting to see what would happen. The group was large. It would be capable of sustaining itself if the prison had been the destination. With working showers, ripe vegetables, and forest to hunt game, a group this large could have survived. The crisp evening air that suggested that winter was on its way made such a situation difficult. Twenty-Two was a number too large for guaranteed survival. Twenty-Two was a number that would signify almost certain starvation.

"I guess we should start by introducing ourselves," Rick said. He was hesitant about getting to know any of the others, because he would have to make the hard decision of turning them away once he got to know them. He began by introducing himself, and his daughter. The group each took a turn in speaking their name, and their personal skills. Daryl classified himself as security, which made Beth smirk just a little at a shared memory from a shack that no longer stood. Beth said she was a peacemaker, and a caregiver. Daryl grunted in approval for her choice of words. Glenn mentioned that he was the tactician, and Carol said as little as she could in a bid for approval from Rick.

The others began to introduce themselves slowly. The first to introduce herself was an older woman, with curly, gray hair braided down her back. She called herself Hattie, and described herself as a healer. She also introduced her fifteen-year-old grandson, Hector. He called himself a fighter. Beth could see a vague similarity between the blond teen and Carl. Both were growing up in a world in which the rules were thrown out, and morality was in question. Both Carl and Hector had a haunted look in their eyes that said that they had seen too much to be unaffected by the horrors of the world. They were children no more.

A younger man with dark brown hair and a pleasant smile called himself a shepherd. Beth wasn't sure if he meant that he was a shepherd of sheep, or if he were formerly a pastor, and a shepherd of people to the word of God. Beth was reminded of the youth pastor at the church she had gone to with her Momma and Daddy before the turn. Maggie had a crush on the young pastor, and Beth vividly recalled the way Maggie would talk about him to her mother. Annette listened patiently to the fourteen-year-old, while she and Beth mixed batter for cookies. She said the he was hunky, Beth was now better able to appreciate a man's attractiveness. She glanced at Daryl, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.

The final three newcomers were siblings. Diane, Lucy, and Jacob were in their late twenties, and appreciative to be out of Terminus. Diane, the eldest, thanked those who helped them escape, but said that they would be on their way soon. They had enough of large groups of people, and were happy enough on their own. Lucy and Jacob nodded in agreement. They said they were a solid team who had just needed a little rest when they had come upon Terminus more than a week ago. They thought they could walk to Dublin, grab some supplies, and make their way again into the unknown.

"Thank you," Rick said to everyone after each person had the chance to introduce himself or herself. "This brings me on to our next topic. What is our plan? Some will be moving on in the next couple of hours, but I think we should begin thinking of our next step."

Daryl was impressed with Rick's planning and leadership. Before the prison fell, Rick had stepped down from leadership. He, Rick, Michonne, Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, Tyreese, and Carol had all been a part of the council, and had actively made decisions together. Hershel, the eldest, and by far the most patient, had mediated the sessions, and called order when necessary. Many people relied on the older man as a source of wisdom, health, and wellbeing.

Abraham was the first to speak up. "We still need to get this man," he indicated to Eugene, "to Washington, D.C. If he has the cause, the cure is sure to come." Eugene nor Rosita said anything to the group. Rosita nodded, but Eugene looked off towards the trees in the distance. He seemed to be lost in a faraway thought.

"Winter will be here soon," Glenn said, looking at Rick. "I don't really want to travel through the winter again. The winter before last was awful, and Judith wasn't born yet." Judith let out a happy squeal and bit Daryl's hand. He smiled even though he had slobber running down his wrist.

"Not to mention the fact that with the winter comes dangerous roads." Carol said. "How long will these four cars last us, if we're making a journey to D.C. in the winter?"

Rick nodded as he looked around the table. He made eye contact with almost everyone, and looked at his infant daughter. He caught Daryl's eyes, and the younger man gave Rick a nod, letting him know that he'd agree with whatever Rick thought was best.

"How many think that we should make the trip to D.C.?" Rosita, Abraham, Tara, Sasha, and Bob immediately raised their hands. Eugene pulled himself away from his thought, looked at his companions and slowly raised his hand.

Tyreese looked at his sister, and reluctantly raised his hand as well. "Where she goes, I go." He said, sadly. He didn't want to leave the group he called family, but he couldn't let his last living sibling ride off on her own, never to be seen again.

"And the rest of you think that we should find shelter for the winter." Everyone else raised their hands. Rick nodded, "Our options are this; those of you who wish to leave, leave, and head to D.C., or we all winter together and reevaluate in the spring. Eugene?" Rick decided to catch the other man's attention. He was the one with the knowledge. He was the one who knew where they would need to go to find the right people. Abraham was his body guard; his opinion was insignificant if Eugene didn't want to go.

"If we can wait the winter out, that might be the best bet. It's been months since I've spoken to anyone in D.C. I don't know what the situation is there, but if there's radio silence, you better believe it's not good." Eugene looked around at his group. Abraham looked infuriated, and Rosita looked angry. Beth imagined that they were upset because they had spent so much time attempting to make their way to D.C. and now he was interested in staying put for at least the winter.

"I guess we will stay put." Abraham said, spitefully. Rosita walked away from the group cursing Eugene. Daryl locked eyes with Rick, wondering if the woman would cause issues for the group in the future. After she had a moment to calm herself, Rosita rejoined the group. They had decided that it was nearly unanimous that they would find a place to rest for the winter, the debate now registered on where they would go.

"I think we should leave central Georgia." Maggie said. "Since leaving the farm we've stayed in central Georgia, and nothing good has happened."

"Judith happened." Carl said.

"Living at the prison was good. And don't forget that you have Glenn." Beth added. Daryl smirked at Beth's optimism.

"We need another fortress." Daryl said, "Somethin' with a high wall that walkers or nobody can get in, and room ta hunt. If we're supportin' this many, we're gonna need land. 'Specially in the winter. Ain't nothin' out feedin' like they do in the fall 'n spring."

"Fort Benning…" Daniel began to comment.

"We heard that Fort Benning fell just a few months after the outbreak. It's too big to secure, and the amount of walkers around there that could be feeding off people thinkin' that it's safe-It's not a risk I'm willing to take." Rick said, turning the man's idea down.

The group was quiet for a long moment. Many looked down at their hands wondering what they would do. Beth remembered the hungry nights curled up with her father's arms holding her tight as she cried into his shoulder, mourning her mother and brother, and missing fresh, reliable food that her family had grown and harvested on the farm. Daryl recalled worries that he would leave to hunt for a couple of days to return to an empty house. He recalled worries that he would be left alone at the end of the world, with no reason to continue living.

"Before…" Hector said, speaking softly, "Before. We were studying the Civil War in my history class, and my teacher was planning on taking us on a trip to a fort that had a moat. It wasn't an active fort any more, but they had museum tours and things. She said it had a moat, and walls that people couldn't climb, and bridges that went up into the walls. Maybe we could try there?"

"Which Fort is this?" Tyreese asked, looking at Hector. "Do you remember where it was?"

"Savannah. We had to sign a permission form, and it was still in my backpack when we left home. It was Fort… P…something."

"Fort Pulaski?" Bob asked. "I went there when I was in grade school. It really did have a moat. And an alligator lived in it."

"Savannah is pretty warm in the winter as well." Carol said. "Ed took me there for our honeymoon in January. It was the nicest trip we had ever gone on, but it was still warm, even though it was cold a few miles north."

Rick called a vote for Fort Pulaski; who thought that it sounded promising? Everyone raised their hands, except for the three siblings who sat together on the sidewalk. He then asked if they should go. Almost everyone raised their hands, those who didn't said that they weren't voting, but that they would go wherever to stay with the group. Beth was one of the ones who abstained from voting. She didn't mind where they went as long as they stayed together, and weren't jumping from house to house.

"Alligator meat's pretty good," Daryl said as they got up from the table and headed back towards the cars.

The sun would be rising soon, and everyone wanted to get to the fort for a good day's rest. Rick traded keys with Glenn, and got into the car with the car seat. Beth and Daryl strapped Judith in, and climbed in on either side of her. Carl claimed the front seat beside his dad. Though they had gone on very little sleep over the last few days, Rick knew they could make it the few miles to Savannah, and check out the fort before succumbing to exhaustion.

* * *

 

Once the car began to move, Judith fell asleep. Beth gave a small smile and zipped her jacket up a little higher. Carl also fell asleep, and though Beth was tired, she didn't want to close her eyes. She looked out the window and watched as they drove past signs, and light posts that no longer turned on at dusk. She watched as figures stumbled out of the tree line after the sound of the cars, but she didn't acknowledge the walkers headed for the road. They'd lose them in no time, and they'd grow hungry, and they'd forget they were chasing a car. The walkers were nothing to worry about. The people still alive gave her more concern.

"Hey," Daryl whispered, tugging on Beth's sweater to get her attention. Beth turned to look at him with confusion written plainly on her face. "You okay?" he asked.

Beth wiped a tear she hadn't known she was sheading, and nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine."

Rick looked back at her in the rearview mirror. He frowned at the young woman sitting behind him, but hoped she wouldn't see. Once Beth and Daryl came back to them, Rick decided that he would take care of Beth like she was his own daughter. Maggie was older, and needed less of a father figure since she was married and had Glenn, but Rick thought that Beth really could still use someone looking out for her. He knew that Daryl was looking out for her too, but since she cared so much for his daughter, he thought he could keep an eye on her when it was necessary.

"Beth," Rick said, making sure to keep his voice low for his two sleeping children in the car. "I'm not going to make excuses for Maggie, but she shouldn't have doubted your ability to survive. She shouldn't have given up on you."

"It ain't right," Daryl agreed. "You and she are sisters, and she didn't even…" He fumed. "Why ain't you angry about it?"

"I am angry." Beth admitted. "I'm angry, and I'm hurt, and I don't know why she gave up on me so quickly." She wiped the tear from her eye again, and looked between Rick and Daryl. "I guess we're really on our own. I'm really on my own."

"You're not though." Rick said, "You have us. And Maggie does love you. She might have doubted your strength, but she does love you."

Beth thought about what Rick said and slowly nodded. She wasn't sure if what he said was true, but Beth did know that she felt hurt, and that she wasn't sure if she could rely on her sister any longer. She didn't know that when it came down to the wire that she could count on her sister to back her up and support her. That was a bitter pill for Beth to swallow, and she wasn't sure what to do, now that she realized she didn't have her sister's unwavering support.

* * *

**Chapter 18: We May Never Pass This Way Again**

* * *

 

I wanna laugh while the laughin' is easy  
I wanna cry; it makes it worthwhile  
I may never pass this way again  
That's why I want it with you

'Cause you make me feel like I'm more than a friend  
Like I'm the journey and you're the journey's end  
I may never pass this way again  
That's why I want it with you

-Seals & Crofts, We May Never Pass This Way Again

* * *

 

A drive that should have taken two hours took nearly six during the end of the world. Cars littered the highway close to Savannah, making it difficult for the group to navigate. They had to divert their way around a herd of walkers, taking back roads and turning down dead ends. It wouldn't have been safe for them to drive through, not with people in the bed of the truck driven by Tyreese. They nearly ran out of gas before they made it back to the highway.

Daryl slept in the back seat for the first three hours of their trip. His hand rested protectively over little Judith's legs. Beth smiled. The older man had his head leaned back against the headrest of the car, and his mouth hung open. Soft snores came from his direction. It was a sound Beth was used to, but it still surprised her each time she heard it. She had only known Daryl as the silent type, and the noises he sometimes made at night were a juxtaposition to the man she knew in the daylight. He snored when he felt safe, and was silent when he felt uneasy about the location they were in. It made her smile, because she was glad to know him so well that she could tell when he was having a difficult night's sleep, or that he felt secure. The man's dreams tended to be somewhat distressing, but Beth never made comment on them in the morning. Daryl seemed to appreciate it.

As Rick drove, he kept an eye on Beth. Her relationship with Daryl had changed. They had spent so much time alone that they both knew each other better than anyone else. Rick would bet that Daryl knew Beth better than Maggie. He made a mental note to observe them more often, as Beth kept turning her head to look at the sleeping man with a soft smile on her face. It was a content look, and reminded Rick of Lori during the first few years of their marriage, before things started to fall apart. Rick had fond memories of that time, and he wanted for his friend to experience the love of a caring relationship. He was hesitant about Beth's age; she hadn't had much of a chance to experience a real adult relationship. Her first boyfriend was someone she practically had to marry, and the last was fun and flirtatious. Walkers ended both relationships, and Beth grew from them. Rick couldn't call her a child anymore. He kept his comments to himself during the drive, preferring Daryl's soft snores to his own curious musings.

Beth fell asleep after two hours on the road. She slept through the horde of walkers they diverted, and she slept through Rick and Daryl switching places, so Rick could sleep. She missed the sunrise, and the way Daryl checked in the rearview every few minutes just to have a look at her. She missed him smiling softly to himself, at peace in a way he had never been before. Daryl was happy to be reunited with everyone, but especially Beth. He had filled with pride when he saw Beth at the exit of Terminus, appearing to be a distraction for the other group. She had a role she had to play, and she filled it well.

* * *

 

It was almost 8 a.m. when the group made it to the coast. Daryl rolled down his window to allow the sea breeze in to wash around the sleeping passengers in his car. He gently shook Rick's knee to wake him. Beth's eyes fluttered as she smelled the salt and sea in the air. She and her family had come to the coast many times in her short life. It was one of her favorite places. She loved the smell of the ocean, and the way the wind tousled her hair into curly waves, mirroring the surf. She smiled as she stretched. She hadn't slept nearly enough, but she felt better rested with the sleep she did have.

They pulled over, and the SUV pulled up next to them. Glenn stepped out of the SUV to confer with Daryl about the direction they needed to go to get to Fort Pulaski. Each car held a map, but Glenn had thought to check the rest station for a flyer for the fort. He told Rick that the flyer rack had toppled over from a couple walkers who had made their way in at some point. He had run out before he had drawn their attention, but it was a close enough call that the man didn't grab anything else from the rest stop.

A few people got out of the cars to stretch. Beth climbed out to change Judith, and find a bush for herself to use. She didn't need to use the restroom that badly, but she knew it would be a little while yet before they reached Fort Pulaski. She decided she would rather go to the bathroom now, than have to run anywhere on a full bladder.

"Don't go far." Rick said, his voice husky from sleep.

Beth nodded as she handed Judith to Carol who had returned from her own trip to the bathroom.

"Beth, wait." Maggie called as she hurried to catch up with her sister. Beth turned around and waited for her sister. She glanced at Daryl, who was watching her surreptitiously. She nodded, insisting that the situation was fine. She'd let him know if it wasn't. He nodded, and looked back at the map Glenn was showing Rick.

"Did you get any sleep?" Maggie asked, grabbing Beth's hand and walking with her into the tree line.

Beth nodded. "A little. Daryl and Rick drove. Carl and Judith fell asleep really quickly." Beth looked over at Carl, and frowned at how tired the young man looked. Michonne had noticed as well, and she had pulled him into her side as she spoke with the group.

Carl and Michonne looked really comfortable together. Carl leaned into her side and closed his eyes. Michonne's arm was draped around his shoulders. He'd soon be too tall for her to do that. The young man already stood taller than Beth's shoulders, but Beth easily admitted that she was a short woman. Michonne and Carl had a unique relationship. She was one of the few people who could make Carl laugh, and Beth knew that was something he needed now.

Beth jumped slightly when she felt Maggie pull her arm towards the bushes. She pulled her arm away and hunched her shoulders. She debated if she really had to go to the bathroom, or if she could just wait until they got to the fort. Beth knew that there was a chance the fort would be taken already, or over run with walkers. She'd have to go now, but she was feeling anxious after Maggie tried to pull her. She started breathing quickly, and tears came to her eyes.

Maggie immediately became concerned and reached her hand out to grab Beth's shoulder. "Don't touch me." Beth hissed, turning away from her sister. She knew that Maggie wasn't going to harm her, but she didn't want to be grabbed. She didn't want to be attacked. She didn't want to be assaulted.

"Beth, what's wrong?" Maggie asked, reaching for her sister again.

Beth had wrapped her arms around herself, and she turned away from her sister. Her eyes went unfocused, and she sunk into herself. The car with the cross was right in front of her. He was back to kidnap her again.  _'Don't let him touch you. Don't let him put you in the car and take you away. Don't let him take you from Daryl.'_

"No. No. No." Beth said, over and over again.

"Beth!" Daryl said, running up to the young woman. Rick followed behind him closely. Everyone was watching. "Beth." He said her name softly as he pulled her into his chest. With her free hand, Beth grabbed onto Daryl's leather jacket and held it tightly as she cried.

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked, looking at her sister, and glaring at Daryl. She was sure she'd have to pull him off of Beth. She started to push him away, and pull Beth towards her. "Come on, Beth. What's wrong?"

"Stop it, you stupid bitch." Daryl said harshly to Maggie. "She don't want you to touch her."

"Like she wants you to touch her?!" Maggie shouted. "You disgusting, grime coated, dick. I'm her sister!"

"You wouldn't have even noticed her if Rick hadn't told you she was there! You fuckin' forgot about her in the weeks ya'll were apart. She saw your signs. She saw that your only thought was Glenn. Don't tell me about bein' her sister when you won't even look for her!"

"I didn't forget her!"

"You sure didn't think she was alive, did you?" Daryl accused. Maggie slumped, knowing the man was correct. She thought that Beth had died at the prison. She never imagined that her sister made it out of that scene safely. She had given up on her sister before she was even certain that her sister was dead.

Rick stepped between the two, his hands up and stretched to the side to give the two quarreling parties space. Glenn came to pull Maggie away from the scene. Everyone stood watching the interaction, their mouths agape. He took Maggie back to the SUV and pulled her into a hushed conversation. She made some protestations, but Daryl didn't care what they were.

Beth continued to sob into Daryl's arms. Daryl rubbed her back and he looked up at Rick. "Make 'em stop lookin'. She don't need everybody lookin'."

Rick nodded, and gently placed his hand on Beth's shoulder before he moved away and pulled the people he could back to the discussion about the fort. Daryl shushed Beth softly, his hand rubbing her back in small circles. When her sobs finally stopped, Daryl pulled back slightly to look at the beautiful, puffy-eyed, runny-nosed, blonde woman in his arms. Daryl offered her his sleeve to wipe her nose. Beth let out a weak chuckle and wiped her nose on her own sleeve.

"Damn, you shoulda just used me, 'cause I'm apparently a disgusting slob."

"You're not." Beth said meekly.

"I mean, I kinda am. We all kinda are." Daryl smiled and pushed her hair away from her eyes. "What happened?"

Beth shook her head, "I don't know. She grabbed my arm and I just started thinkin' maybe it'd just be best to wait to go to the bathroom until we got there, and then I was just…" she didn't know how to describe her break down to Daryl. She touched her shoulder and looked up at Daryl with her red-rimmed eyes. "They grabbed me." Daryl didn't need for her to tell her who she was talking about. Daryl knew it was the first two guys who had grabbed Beth that scared her the most. They had violated her in ways that even Len, with his lascivious grin, had not.

Daryl wanted to kill the two men again. And he wanted to watch them turn and then kill them again. Beth slowly let go of Daryl's winged jacket, and stepped out of his embrace. Daryl reached up and brushed lingering tears away from her cheeks. Beth gave him a small smile.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Daryl chuckled and gestured to the bushes in front of them.

"I'll stand guard." Beth gave him a shy grin as she slipped behind the trees to take care of business.

Daryl turned and looked back at everyone who was still waiting on them. They all pretended to not be looking, but he knew they all were. Carol was watching intently; she only looked away when Daryl met her gaze. Sasha and Tara watched out of the corner of their eyes, and everyone else kept shooting glances until they noticed that Daryl was alone and watching all of them pretending not to be watching.

Beth finished, and walked out. Luckily, everyone had actually began to pack back into the cars, and Daryl and Beth climbed back into the car with Rick, Carl, and Judith.

* * *

They drove another half an hour, and crossed over a long white bridge that stretched over the Savannah River. The roads on Cockspur Island were shrouded in trees, and Daryl commented that it looked like good hunting. A group of deer fed on the side of the road. Carl pointed at the deer, shocked at the sheer multitude of them.

"Yeah," Daryl chuckled, "Looks like it's been safe for 'em here. Maybe there ain't many walkers on the island that would be interested in eatin' 'em."

"I hate to say it, and jinx it, but maybe there ain't any walkers at all." Rick said. "There's a Coast Guard Station that way."

They all looked down the road that lead to the Coast Guard Station. "That's good right? There'll be weapons, and maybe some supplies?" Beth asked.

"Should be." Rick confirmed for her. "They'll hopefully have boats, maybe fuel and weapons if no one cleared it out before they left the island."

"Cool." Carl said with a nod, as if he were the leading authority on all things cool.

Beth smiled, "Yeah, cool."

It wasn't long before they pulled into an almost empty parking lot. Two cars sat parked near the visitor's center, but away from the fort. Rick parked, and everyone climbed out of the car. Beth grabbed Judith, and she watched as everyone grabbed a knife, a tire iron, or their gun or crossbow.

"There's only two cars here," Rick said quietly. "That doesn't mean that there is no one here, but it seems unlikely. Let's go in cautiously, just to be certain. Beth, Carl, Hector, and Abraham… ya'll stay here." Beth and Carl nodded, but Hector seemed a little petulant about being left behind. Abraham wondered aloud about why he was put on kid duty.

"The rest of us… three groups. We'll have two groups on the ground floor, and one on the top. Just do a quick sweep. We'll do inventory later. Daryl, Carol, Tara, and Dave; I want you to sweep right. Glenn, Michonne, Eugene, Hattie, take left. Maggie, Tyreese, Sasha, Bob, Rosita and I will cover the visitor's center, grounds, and upper level." Rick nodded and everyone split up into their groups before heading off into the fort, or into the visitor's center.

"I don't need to, like, play a game with you guys or anything, do I?" Abraham asked, looking confused as to why he was standing here.

Hector and Carl rolled their eyes and climbed back into a vehicle. Beth looked at him and frowned. "Rude. That was rude."

* * *

Rick's group was out of the visitor's center with a quick nod and a wipe of knife blades. "There were six in the visitor's center. We'll take care of the corpses in a bit."

Abraham and Beth nodded and watched them head into the fort for the first time. Beth had walked around the parking lot, looking at a few placards telling visitors about the fort. One talked about a cistern which held water, and she called Abraham over to look at it. They had a look at the large cistern and thought it would be worthwhile if they could use it for clean drinking water. Beth hoped they still worked. The sign said that there were ten cisterns, and each one held over twenty-thousand gallons of water. Beth knew that the group would be set for life as far as their water needs went. They could even plant a garden and water the vegetables and not feel the need to conserve water like they had at the prison.

She could see the damage to the fort that had occurred during the Civil War, and she could see tunnels and hills in the demilune. She couldn't wait to explore the place.

Before she knew it, everyone came back to the cars with smiles on their faces. "Come, check it out!" Michonne shouted.

"I think there's a room with your name on it." Daryl whispered as he leaned down to take Judith from Beth.

Beth smiled and walked with the group into their new home.

The fort was pentagonal, with a triangle of hilly grass (called the demilune, as Beth learned from reading the flyer) in front of it. Each hill on the demilune was carved out as a storage area for different purposes. Some held military weapons at one point, and others held gunpowder. The group would likely put the empty rooms to good use; storing food when they had it, or weapons. The moat that went around the fort split the demilune from the fort. They crossed another drawbridge, and Beth could see the parade grounds of the fort. The first thing she saw was a cannon, surrounded by tall grass and weeds. The lawn hadn't been cared for, and small saplings started to grow in the absence of people.

Beth could see the potential, though. She could imagine Judith growing up and running around the yard. She could imagine having picnics with everyone in the summer. She could imagine a fire pit they gathered around in the evening, singing songs and telling stories. As she walked in, she smiled, because it felt like a place they could call home.

Cannons sat guarding the fort from the flat, grassy roof, and the only entrance was the drawbridge they had just walked through. It was safe, and it seemed secure. They would decide the condition in the next few days, and they would decide the next course of action. For now, everyone scrambled to claim rooms, and move antique wooden beds and small pieces of furniture. If a few people shared, there would be enough bedrooms for all.

"Welcome home." Daryl whispered into Beth's ear.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please check out "beautifulherebethyl" on Tumblr for maps, images, music and more. Expect the Sequel Soon!


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